Battle of the unbeatens

Only one team will be left standing without a loss after San Miguel Beer and Alaska square off in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight. The Beermen and the Aces are still unbeaten in the conference with identical 3-0 records.

So far, the two teams have been untouchable on both ends. Alaska is averaging a whopping 99.3 points while giving up 78.3 a game while San Miguel is hitting at a 92.3 clip and surrendering 82.7. The Aces narrowly beat Talk ‘N’ Text, 100-98, but had a breeze in demolishing Purefoods, 93-73, and Meralco, 105-64. The Beermen were hardly challenged in crushing the Star Hotshots, 87-80, Barako Bull, 103-89 and Rain Or Shine, 87-79.

Coach Leo Austria is calling the shots for San Miguel, taking over from active consultant Todd Purves in the offseason. Coach Alex Compton remains at the Alaska helm after relieving Luigi Trillo two games into the last Governors Cup.

Neither team made dramatic lineup changes entering this season. San Miguel brought in rookies Ronald Pascual and David Semerad and veteran free agent Bitoy Omolon to replace Chico Lanete and Jojo Duncil. Holdovers are reigning MVP JuneMar Fajardo, Arwind Santos, Sol Mercado, Marcio Lassiter, Chris Lutz, Doug Kramer, Ronald Tubid, Rico Maierhofer, Justin Chua, Chris Ross, Paolo Hubalde and Sam Marata.

Alaska’s rookies are Chris Banchero and Rome de la Rosa. Veterans Eric Menk and Josh Vanlandingham were also taken in.  Back for another tour of duty are Jvee Casio, Calvin Abueva, Sonny Thoss, Dondon Hontiveros, Vic Manuel, R. J. Jazul, Tony de la Cruz, Chris Exciminiano, Sam Eman, Paolo Bugia, Cyrus Baguio and Gabby Espinas. Dropped from last year’s roster were Nic Belasco, Ryan Buenafe and Raphy Reyes.

Alaska’s unpredictability is a huge factor in Compton’s early success. The Aces find different ways to win, depending on the opponent, and Compton makes sure they don’t stray and stay motivated. Against the Texters, Alaska won by dominating the boards, 61-39, resulting in a huge edge in second chance points, 31-6 and field goal attempts, 91-74. The Aces were outshot from three-point distance, 15-7, but stayed alive with volume possessions created by superior board work.

Against Purefoods, Alaska leaned on defense to force 24 turnovers of which the Aces scored 17 to the Hotshots’ two. The Aces’ bench spewed fire and outscored the Purefoods relievers, 56-25. Against Meralco, Alaska executed unselfishly on offense, compiling 30 assists and generating 78 points from the bench. In those three wins, Alaska made it a point to outrebound the opposition.

Leading the charge for Alaska is Abueva who had 26 points and 22 rebounds against the Texters, 21 points against Purefoods and 10 points against Meralco in just 10:20 minutes. There’s no player who’s more intense and who plays with a higher level of energy than Abueva in the league. He’s Compton’s attack dog. When Alaska gets too predictable, Compton unleashes Abueva to shake up things and this season, he’s been unstoppable.

Hontiveros, 37, is enjoying a resuscitated career, averaging 13 points and collecting 6-of-15 triples in three outings. The Cebuano rifleman is a perfect weapon in Compton’s triangle because he moves well without the ball and knows how to create space for his shot. Manuel is another major contributor who hasn’t scored less than double figures this season. Alaska will be even tougher at the block when Espinas is reactivated from sick bay. Thoss, Casio and Baguio are old reliables while Banchero, who picked up eight assists against Meralco, is a blossoming star.

The Beermen have also outrebounded their opponents in every game like Alaska. Clearly, the man in the San Miguel spotlight is Fajardo who had 22 points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots against Purefoods, 18 points and 11 rebounds against Barako and 16 points and 10 rebounds against the Painters. He’s a consistent double-double producer and his presence in the interior as a threat opens up opportunities for shooters and slashers. Santos’ ability to play inside and outside is another asset. The Spiderman is averaging 19 points a game and against Barako, knocked down 5-of-6 triples.

San Miguel’s bench isn’t as dynamic as Alaska’s but Austria is comfortable with his core of starters. The Beermen like to keep things simple. They’re aggressive to the hoop, pack it inside and execute methodically in the half-court where their advantage is Fajardo. Against Purefoods, San Miguel had less fastbreak, turnover and second chance points and assists but still managed to win by seven on the strength of a fierce inside game resulting in more blocked shots and rebounds and a higher field goal percentage.

Against Barako, San Miguel outscored the Energy, 30-12, from the line just by being more assertive and the final margin of difference was 14 points. The Beermen had less fastbreak, turnover and bench points but they were relentless in controlling the boards and protecting the rim. It also helped that San Miguel was unconscious from beyond the arc with Santos and Lassiter combining for eight connections. Against Rain Or Shine, the Beermen had less bench points but Fajardo and Santos conspired for 32 points and 23 rebounds together to compensate.

On Alaska’s side, the challenge is to stop Fajardo and Compton might try a zone defense to take away his post-up and San Miguel’s pick-and-rolls. On San Miguel’s side, the challenge is to stop Abueva and that’s a little more complicated because The Beast plays multiple positions and drives every defender crazy. It’ll be a battle of wits between Compton and Austria, a preview of a possible matchup in the playoffs.