Beermen test Aces today

San Miguel Beer and Alaska Milk, teams with deep-seethed rivalry in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, clash today in what could become an early preview of a another possible post-eliminations duel between these two ballclubs in the mid-season tournament.

The Beermen and the Aces renew their rivalry as the league visits Antipolo anew, featuring an exciting twinbill at the Ynares Sports Center. Shell and Pop Cola mix it up in the curtain-raiser at 5:15 p.m.

Both San Miguel and Alaska got off to a strong start in the tournament and each one has a shot at the early solo lead as they square off at 7:30 p.m.

The Beermen have won their last four games and seven of their last nine while the Aces have won nine of their last 14 outings dating back to the All-Filipino Conference.

However, what could well come to mind as they take the floor tonight are their fierce battles in this very tournament in the recent past.

The Aces won the Commissioner’s Cup championship in 1998 at the expense of the Beermen. The SMC franchise got back at the Uytengsu ballclub the following year by winning their semis duel before going on to bag the crown. And the Beermen repeated the trick in completing a successful title defense last year.

Intense battles by their imports marked their past duels in this conference. It has become a tradition in their Commissioner’s Cup rivalry and it is likely to be continued by Nate Johnson and Terrance Badgett.

Johnson and Badgett were impressive in their first two games in the local pro league. Curiously, both were tapped for the job only in the 11th hour when the original prospects of San Miguel and Alaska rejected offers to play here.

Badgett averages 33 points, 10 rebounds and 3.5 assists while Johnson norms 29.5 points, 16 rebounds, three blocks, 2.5 assists and two steals.

Badgett, a product of University of Nebraska, was recommended by PBA veteran import Sean Chambers to Alaska when Tim McClary had a sudden change of heart, deciding not to fly over here. San Miguel, meanwhile, tried its luck on Johnson when it failed to get a deal with old import Terquinn Mott. Johnson, a former University of Louisville hitman, earlier tried out for the same job with Barangay Ginebra.

Badgett and the Aces won their first two games over the Red Bull Thunder and the Pop Cola Panthers while Johnson and the Beermen started their title-retention bid also with two straight wins over the Purefoods Hotdogs and the Shell Turbo Chagers.