Mark Caguioa, Very True To His Words

Who would have thought that Barangay Ginebra Kings (BGK) would be in the finals? They started 0-5. I even get frustrated at that time. But my Angel told me, it was just the first round. He even told me that BGK can still won the championship.

Then, BGK standing become 2-7. And a promise from Mark Caguioa (MC) had come in. I've searched YouTube for the interview but failed to find one. So instead, I have here a part of Game 3 where they showed a clip of the said interview. It was in the 6:24 mark. Here you go...



It was May 18, 2008. MC promised the BGK fans "I'm telling you, we'll go to the championship!". And I really hold on to that promise. I even quoted it in my first blog, JayJay Helterbrand - Second Best?. Now, today, July 27, 2008, MC fulfilled his promise. He was just very true to his word. I just wonder what do the detractors of MC are thinking or saying right now? Back May 18 they're uttering, "Talaga lang ha?". Hmm.. how about now, July 27? What are they uttering? Or they prefer to keep their mouth shut? For those who are saying that MC was boastful, brag, mayabang. Well, I think the word mayabang only applies to those who say's something that they cannot do. Like a coach who give his word, "We'll win the semis in Game 7". I'm sorry, but there'll be no more Game 7, neither Game 6, neither Game 5.

Game 4 is MC's revelation. For the last 3 games, it was JayJay's night. But tonight, JayJay just can't deliver. If I remember it right, he just earned 8 points. I fear that his statistics for the MVP race would really bring him down. Okay, enough with JayJay, MC is the star of this blog. From the 1st Quarter, I told Thania, "This game is Mark's". And yes, it was. He is just so unstoppable right from the 1st Quarter. Everytime he holds the leather, even a double nor a triple team can't stop him from earning a basket. He does not only own the 1st - 4th Quarter, he as well own the OverTime period. He finished with 35pts, 15/25FG, 2/4 3PT. Not even Red Bull's import can match his stats.

Again, I would like to re-iterate, Mark Caguioa, Very True To His Words. And I was so thankful that he does not disappoint me, and a million of his fans. And I was so glad that I hold on to his promise. He was not being boastful, He was just so FURIOUS!!!

JayJay and His 3s ... Again

You might want to read JayJay and His 3s first before continue reading on.

For the past 2 games, I hadn't post any article. Game 1, hmmm.. too early to celebrate, I might boast on the 9 win streak of Barangay Ginebra Kings (BGK). Game 2, I really, really love to create a blog. But words aren't coming easy since I wasn't able to watch the game. Game 3, this time, I was able to watch the game from the introduction up to the last seconds. And yes, goose pimples, butterfly in my stomach, pressure, it was all in me. My heart just starts to beat faster as the game is nearing its start.

Another reason why I hadn't have posted any article yet was, I was still thinking of a perfect title perhaps. And I am reserving "MC, Very True To His Word" once BGK makes it to the championship. I would want to have this bear the title "JayJay, The Next MVP?". It might caught a lot of attention. But, I rather have it JayJay and His 3s ... Again to encourage everyone to dig and read the first JayJay and His 3s. Okay, so much for the intro, here's what I wanted to say.

The Magical 3 for JayJay
Winning Game 3 of the Best of Seven Series against Red Bull gives BGK a 3-0 lead. One of the main reasons why BGK had been stealing the game from Red Bull were their 3 point shots.

Game 1 - The hailed TM tres King was JayJay Helterbrand having 2/7 from the 3 point country. And who else could have been the Best Player of the Game? It was still, JayJay "The Fast v.2.0" Helterbrand. He has 16 points and 10 selfless assists. No wonder, he was the best pointguard of the league.

Game 2 - I'll bet, he still was hailed TM tres King. As what Rochelle has told me, he erupted in the 3rd Quarter with a 6/12 from the 3 point arc. And again, he was the Best Player of the Game. 27 big points and 9 big assists. No wonder the commentators had been commending him as someone who's so difficult to guard. He has the power to make the points, and he has the talent to look for the open man. But wait, there's something I want to raise in here. As I remembered, one of the big 3 point shot of JayJay was an assist coming from Mark Caguioa. It was just so inspiring, that MC seems to be helping JayJay to really improve on his game. MCs first sacrifice was to be a 6th man for he sees JayJay stepping up in his game. And for this conference, MC had been giving JayJay the break. MC probably wanted his bestfriend, his tandem, to be the next Most Valuabel Player of the Season. MC, a salute to you. You was just so selfless.

Game 3 - I've been nervous for this game. I konw that Red Bull would definitely come back strong. And yes, they have. For most of the time, they've been dominating the game. They earned the 1st Quarter. Hmmm.. but JayJay is simply unstoppable, after hitting a two 3 pointers in the first half, he again launched a back to back 3 pointers to cut the lead and eventually tie the game by another 3 point shot by Junthy Valenzuela ending the 2nd Quarter. On the next quarters, its as if Red Bull still dominates the game. But hey, we have Sunday's saving grace. He hit a back to back 3 pointers plus a basket, having an 8-0 run (don't quite sure about the 0) against the Red Bull Barakos. The succeeding place were breathtaking. My brother even teased me that BGK won't win the game. But with all the prayers we've been making, BGK still rules. And guess who's the TM tres King and the Best Player of the Game? Yes, you're right, its JayJay Helterbrand, 20 points, 7 assists, and 4/6 from the rainbow country.

Now, I believe you know why this article had been JayJay and His 3s ... Again. For the first games of the semi finals best of 7 series, BGK won, 3-0. And for those 3 games, JayJay was hailed as the TM tres King and the Best Player of the Game. This could really make JayJay as the Next MVP. (JayJay na naman, lagi nalang si JayJay, puro nalang si JayJay, hahahaha)

One more game, and we're on the finals. MC would be the next big thing in my blog. Ooops, before I forgot, I've got a litle trivia. BGK is on its road in making history. Game 3 was their 11th win streak, it was just another win streak 12 years ago. :D

Ginebra Advances to Semis. Kelly Bids Goodbye to MVP?

As Barangay Ginebra sweeps the Best of 3 Series of the Quarter Finals, could it also mean "Kelly would bid goodbye to MVP?"

So sad I failed to watch the game. Thanks to my dear friends, Patrice, Thania, and Rochelle, for keeping me posted. Thanks also to captainlionheart16 who posted the game in YouTube immediately. I downloaded the videos and watched it, along with the commercials. :)

SLR played without their import. Does it make sense? In Game 1, they have their import, BGK wins. Now, they played without Lee Benson, BGK again, wins. Now it makes sense. (brag!)

1st Quarter
It's raining outside. Might have been brought by Typhoon Helen. But hey, it's also raining 3s in Ynarez. 2/2 each for JayJay and MC and 1/1 each for Junthy and Sunday in the 3 point area. Oh well, not to mention this statistic mentioned by the commentators - "Conquering Kings have beaten the Realtors in 11 of their last 13 meetings dating back to the 2005-06 Fiesta Conference"

2nd Quarter
3 points galore. BGKs raining 3s ain't over. 1/3 for JayJay, 1/2 each for MC and Sunday, and 1/1 for Junthy. To add some spice, Artadi and JayJay had a steal each. Nice, very nice game. Kelly? Hmm.. trying soooooo hard to run the race against BGK, ending the first half 43-56 in favor of the kings.

3rd Quarter
Hmmm.. SLR might have prepared themselves in guarding Cris Alexander in the paint. But, they failed to prepare themselves from guarding BGK from the 3 point arc. Junthy had 1/2 in the 3 point area. What else does BGK got? They have the 3s and steals (Artadi made another one this quarter). Alexander brings Ynarez down with his dunk. Adding up with his block against Espino as well as Reavis' block against Williams. The Kings' 7-game win streak is the longest this conference. That stats is as of the 3rd Quarter. Let's make that 8-game win streak to make this game count :D

4th Quarter
Game 1, JayJay is really out of sync. But in Game 2, he was sizzling... Jump shot, 3 points, lay ups, free throws, assists, and steals. Whew... Okay, done with the 3s. Let's have steals. A piece each for JayJay, Artadi, and Reavis. Reavis' steal passed to Artadi, passed to MC, and finally passed to Alexander for a dunk (Kaboom!). Now, it's time for the bench players to show off what they've got. Escalona's time to shine. Career high for him, 8 points in 2 minutes. (Smug!)


Nice, very nice, very very nice game. 113-85, Paul Artadi as the Best Player of the Game, 12 points, 11 assits, 6 steals, all personal conference high. BGK advances to the Semis. They would be facing RedBull on Sunday.

Now that SLR is off the conference, could Kelly still win the MVP? Or will Arwind Santos of Air 21 grab the statistical lead from him? Oh wait, there's JayJay on the 4th rank that could be a contender as well. Although the championship won by SLR in the All Filipino Cup really is a great point for Kelly, nothing's impossible. Their averages are so close that anything could happen. Let's just wait and see. As for now, we just have to celebrate for BGK's win!!!

*** For those who would want a copy of the game, just post your comment, I'll send it to you. :)

Leather Ejected, James Yap Runs Away Like A Kid

Last night, it was a do or die game for SLR vs Alaska (Game 1) and TNT vs Purefoods (Game 2). I failed to watch the first game for it started 4:40PM, I was still at the office by that time. Game 1's winner was SLR, a come from behind, having Joseph Yeo as the Best Player of the Game.

Luckily, I was able to watch Game 2 from the very first minutes of the first quarter. Kerby Raymundo was playing good that time. Unlike from what I've read from comments at pba-online, 'The Kid' was now showing his real play, my thought at that moment. If I'm not mistaken, he scored 6 out of the 8 points of the team. It was 14-2 in favor of Purefoods when suddenly, after the time-out called by coach Chot Reyes, the TNT have a 16-1 run. All of a sudden, it was 18-15 in favor of the Phone Pals.

(Sigh!) I really wanted Purefoods to win. I wanted them to be the team that could surpass the Wildcard Phase and eventually meet Ginebra in the Quarters. But, on the way that they are playing, I doubt they could win the game. There's just something wrong. They hadn't figured it out all conference-long.

Come second and third quarter, offense and defense of TNT was just so perfect. Bringing them 21 point lead at the end of the 3rd. 12 minutes left, I've got 12 minutes hope that James Yap, who was featured on half time, could show his million moves to come back from that big big deficit. 12 minutes for him to prove that he really is the 'Big Game' James.

Entering the 4th quarter, a 3 point play was engineered by the injured Reda Rhalimi. Feels like the momentum is now at Purefoods. I was still hopeful. At the 9-minute mark, the game was "A MESS". Jondan Salvador is having a physical move against the more physical defense of Terrence Leather who was called for a foul at the third strong bump with each other. And then, the Terrence Leather I saw during their match vs Ginebra, was the same Terrence Leather I am seeing now. It's as if he would throw a fist on Jondan, the latter step back and the referee stops the commosion. But, Leather is unstoppable, he even throwed the ball with a bang on Jondan's face. Ouch!!! The attitude of Leather made him ejected of the game, having called for a 2 technical foul. The same reason why he was out of the playing court vs Ginebra.

On the lighter side, for a laugh, here comes James Yap. While Ali Peek tries to stop Leather, King James sneeked a knee on Leather's leg. Making Leather run after him. And like a kid, literally, a kid, he ran away from Leather. The number of times the brawl was replayed, that's the number of times me and my brother laughed. Then, the next thing you saw, everyone's on the court. Oh well, for you to picture out what I've been trying to draw here, I've attached the video of the Royal Rumble, I mean, the PBA game. :)

As a result, 2 Technical Fouls was called against Leather, and 1 each for Peek, Salvador, J. Yap, Villanueva, and Sanz. Aside from the personal foul that lit up the rumble. Raining Technical Fouls. Earlier in the first half, Coach Ryan Gregorio was called for a technical foul as well.

I just thought that with Leather ejected, the TJ Giants would gain the momentum, and finish the quarter with a win. But I was so, so, so disappointed. The giants are not playing as a team, they are playing individually. A couple of offensive fouls were even called against them, PJ Simon having 2, if I remembered it right.

Less than 2 minutes left, I was hoping that a T-Mac hands would come in the hands of J. Yap. That with a double digit deficit, a back-to-back 3s could still bring them for the win. But, it's impossible. (sad)

Final score was 98-83, with Cardona as the Best Player of the Game.

JayJay and His 3s

Coach Jong Uichico commends JayJay for his improving defense. He has been playing well defensively this conference. That's how he see JayJay. But for me, I see him differently.

For the last three games (Purefoods, Coke, and TNT), JayJay just shows how he can break the opponents' hearts. Just when the opponents are running for the win, he simply stops them with his three pointers. :D

Ginebra vs Purefoods, June 11, 2008
Just a three point lead, JayJay is dribbling the leather, with less than 1 minute remaining. With Chris Alexander's pick, he got away from his guard and launch for a three pointer. The ball touches the rim, up the glass, and then goes in. Yipee!!! That, for sure nearly broke Purefoods' hearts.

Ginebra vs Coca-Cola, June 15, 2008
With Alex Cabagnot at the Coca-Coal team, his three pointers nearly got past Ginebra's lead. 86-80 and more or less 2 minutes remaining in the game, it is still indeed, anyone's ball game. But, so to speak, JayJay, once again, break the hearts of the tigers with his three pointer from the unselfish assist of The Hitman. Applause, :)

Ginebra vs TNT, June 29, 2008
After a 2-week rest from the conference, No One Can Stop Ginebra, When There's Helterbrand and Caguioa. And indeed, their tandem is back!!! I still have that feeling of nervousness as the game was in its last minutes. The import-less TNT (The import was called for a two technical fouls having him out of the playing court) still manages to maintain their composure, so good that Ginebra cannot escape their comebacks during the game. But, well, JayJay never disappoints the fans. I stand from my feet as he launches and scores the three pointer that gives me relief and make me say to myself, "we will wind this game". And indeed, we do. Thanks JayJay!!!


Well, those three games shows how JayJay improved his outside shooting. Probably he gains his confidence knowing that Chris Alexander would dominate the rebound if he misses. So, aside from improving defensively, he never forget to improve offensively, by practicing and making those big big three pointers. I guess I'll invite Chris Alexander to have him lead the fans and salute you :D

But that doesn't stop there. JayJay had been chosen as Player of the Week three times in a month. It could have been three consecutive weeks if not for Typhoon Frank.

Week 1: June 2-8, 2008
Week 2: June 9-15, 2008
Week 3: June 23-29, 2008

JayJay and His 3s are enough to make history.