PBA Fastbreak: RoS, Air21 survive comebacks by Meralco, Ginebra

Rain or Shine over Meralco, 96-79

The Best: Looks like Jeff Chan’s scoring slump is over. The Gilas Pilipinas gunner shot 6/14 from the field and made all 8 of his free throws en route to scoring a total of 21 points on top of 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. This is a great sign both for the Painters and for Chan, who failed to reach double-digits in his last two outings. If his shooting from this game holds form in their next few assignments, then Chan might be able to lead Rain or Shine (RoS) back up in the standings.

The Worst: Perhaps the worst thing that happened to the Bolts here wasn’t really the loss, but losing Brian Butch as the import was seen vomiting on the sidelines a couple of times. He also didn’t play his usual game, scoring just 11 points on 4/14 FG shooting. Rumors have swirled about Meralco possibly replacing Butch anyway, but nobody wants to see any player go out this way.

Last Hurrah?: As Wayne Chism flies to Manila, it’s all but certain that current RoS import Alex McLean is already on his way out. McLean did lead his team with 23 points and 16 rebounds, but, by and large, his body of work has been hardly impressive. In five games for the Painters, he normed 22.8ppg and 15.4rpg while shooting just 41.8% from the floor. He takes too many threes and just doesn’t do much else. And, of course, RoS went 2-3 with him as the import.

Air21 over Ginebra, 97-95

The Best: Once again, Air 21 let its foes back in the game, but this time around, they survived the opposing side’s rally. The Express led by 10 points to start the final quarter before the Gin Kings rallied and last threatened at 96-95 with less than 19 ticks to go. Some lucky breaks and spotty decision-making from Ginebra, however, enabled the Express to escape with their third win in six tries. Import Wesley Witherspoon once again showed his scoring prowess, nailing 5 triples and dropping 25 points in all. He also collared 10 rebounds, handed out 2 assists, and stole the ball thrice. He was backstopped by five other Air 21 players who scored 9 or more points.

The Worst: The backcourt duo of LA Tenorio and Mark Caguioa just didn’t click here. Tenorio shot 3/8 from the field to score just 9 points while Caguioa, who left the game at the 6:50 mark of the 3rd quarter after hitting the back of his head on the hardwood, tossed in just 2 markers in a combined 46 minutes. They just weren’t effective at all. 

What’s your answer to this question?: Who, REALLY, is Ginebra’s coach? Who calls the shots? Who diagrams the plays? Who decides to sit the import for all but the final play of the payoff period? Juno? Ato? The guy with silky, long, black hair? Your guess is as good as mine. – Rappler.com