Survivors go through daily grind in Final 4

MANILA, Philippines - In a break from tradition, the Philippine Basketball Association splits the schedule of its semifinals, holding only one game each for eight straight days beginning Jan. 4.

The PBA introduces this innovation in the Philippine Cup Final Four pitting old powerhouse rivals Petron Blaze and Talk n Text on one side, and young upcoming teams Rain or Shine and Powerade on the other side.

The Elasto Painters and the Tigers start their best-of-seven semis showdown at 6:45 p.m. on Jan. 4 at the Cuneta Astrodome while the Boosters and the Tropang Texters begin their own duel also at 6:45 p.m. at the same venue the following day.

“It’s been a long time that the PBA office is mulling this, and I think now is the right time, now that we have a good mixtures of matchups,” said PBA commissioner Chito Salud.

“We have two teams (Rain or Shine and Powerade) composed of young guns who are the future of the PBA. This is a good opportunity to highlight these young guys. At the same time, we give equal exposure to the older stars on the other side,” Salud added.

The league chieftain said the AKTV people are in total agreement with them in their decision to implement the novel format.

“We had this in mind even before the Final Four cast was completed. We’re really confident that whoever make the semis would be able to bring the fans and push the TV ratings up,” said Salud.

The PBA chief foresees no less than slam-bang battles in both semis matchups.

“It’s very exciting. It’s going to be tenaciously fought. Both matchups are pretty even,” said Salud.

“One is a good rematch while the other gives you two upcoming teams handled by brilliant coaches. These are kinds of matchups fans would love to see,” Salud added.

The upcoming semis series also offers several exciting side battles, including the race for the Best Player of the Conference award among scoring leader Gary David, regular double-double performer Arwind Santos, clutch player Alex Cabagnot and the top guns of Rain or Shine and Talk n Text.

There’s also the showdown among top draftees Jvee Casio, Paul Lee, Chris Lutz and Marcio Lassiter.

Casio and Lee, the top two picks, meet head-on in the Powerade-RoS confrontation.

Lutz leads them in scoring with an average of 18.3 points, Casio is tops in assists with 6.2 an outing while Lassiter and Lee boast of solid all-around numbers with the former averaging 16.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals and the latter norming 13.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

Petron and Talk n Text renew their rivalry after figuring in two finals meetings last season while Rain or Shine and Powerade face each other in a duel of teams both chasing a breakthrough championship.