Preview: Mercado faces Meralco again

2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup

Meralco Bolts (1-3) vs GlobalPort Batang Pier (2-2)

When they last met… In their last Philippine Cup meeting, the GlobalPort Batang Pier edged out the Meralco Bolts, 105-104 to post its first and only win the All-Filipino tourney. Veteran Willie Miller dropped 33 points to lead the Batang Pier to its maiden win in the last conference while Sol Mercado, then playing for the Bolts led Meralco with 30 points with Ronjay Buenafe chipping in 30 points as well.

Why this game is important…

For Meralco: After starting the season with an upset win over Talk ‘N Text, the Bolts found themselves in a three-game losing skid. A win would end the slide and set Meralco’s title bid back on track.

For GlobalPort: The Mikee Romero franchise tries to avenge its lopsided loss to Talk ‘N Text in the team standings and get win number three. More importantly, a win on Sunday’s curtain-raiser would get back the confidence of the Batang Pier after they were sent back to earth by the Tropang Texters via a 79-99 beating.

X-factor

For Meralco: Cliff Hodge. The rookie hasn’t been the Cliff Hodge of the last Philippine Cup where he was a dominating force both on offense and defense that had pundits say that he and Alaska super rookie Calvin Abueva were the top rookies in their draft class. Hodge is the missing link in the Bolts’ slide so he must step up on Sunday if they wish to have a chance of winning against the promising Batang Pier quintet.

For GlobalPort: Willie Miller. We just don’t know if the Miller, still one of the best one-on-one players in the PBA is affected by the arrival of new players in the Batang Pier’s roster. He hasn’t shown up in GlobalPort’s first four games. Miller should come out of his shell in Sunday’s game to help Gary David, Sol Mercado, Japeth Aguilar and Justin Williams.

And the winner is… The Bolts will have their hands full against the retooled Batang Pier but Meralco, avoiding a fourth straight defeat, will surely come out with guns ablaze and a sense of urgency. Meralco.

Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters (2-1) vs San Mig Coffee Mixers (0-3)

When they last met… The Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters trounced the San Mig Coffee Mixers, 85-74, when the two teams fought in the last Philippine Cup. Former Ateneo stalwart Larry Fonacier fired 26 points, including a key triple while Jason Castro and Ryan Reyes added 16 and 12 markers, respectively. James Yap paced the Mixers with his 18 points while Yancy De Ocampo had 12.

Why this game is important…

For Talk ‘N Text: The Tropang Texters go up for their third consecutive win after dropping its opener against the Meralco Bolts and make a statement this early that winning three straight All-Filipino jewels is not yet enough for Talk ‘N Text.

For SMC: You don’t want to be in a 0-4 whole, don’t you? Especially if you are the defending Commissioner’s Cup champions. Thus, a win on Sunday’s game over TNT might just ignite the fire in the Mixes’ struggling campaign.

X-factor

For Talk ‘N Text: Ryan Reyes. There’s no doubt that Ryan Reyes is one of the best, if not, the best defender in the PBA today and his scoring—aside from putting the clamps on the opposing team’s top local scorer (well, in this case, James Yap), is a big bounus for the loaded Tropang Texters.

For SMC: Marc Pingris. He’s a demon on defense, rebounding and hustle, all right. But Pingris’ scoring means a lot to the Mixers, too. If the Pangasinan-born do-it-all forward explodes on Sunday, SMC might just be on their way in getting its first win of the conference.

And the winner is… The Mixers’ loss to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters’ compounded their woes, while Talk ‘N Text, after a sorry loss to start the conference is slowly getting back to its deadly form. Playing like one cohesive unit, beating Talk ‘N Text is really a tall order but 0-3 is enough for SMC, they will play all out, a virtual do-or-die to get their first win that can be the spark and turn things around in their struggling Commissioner’s Cup campaign. San Mig Coffee – Rappler.com