San Miguel Beermen Basketball Updates

Photo Credit: air21express.com.ph

It will be an exciting ballgame today as the Air21 Express tries to get back at the San Miguel Beermen to avenge a controversial loss in their first meeting that resulted to a game protest.

The Air21 Express Management has yet to surrender its attempt of having a replay of the previous encounter as it submitted another protest, this time to the PBA Board of Governors after PBA Commissioner Sonny Barrios turned their initial protest. The result will be known probably today before the game starts.

The San Miguel Beermen, on the other hand, will do everything in its power to stop a three-game lossing streak as they continue to protect the second spot. A loss will eventually yield the second spot to the Air21 Express. As the end of the eliminations comes near, today is not the best time to lose especially to a team that you are battling toe-to-toe in the team standings.

The last three games of the San Miguel Beermen, which they all lost, shows a totally different team that ended the first round of eliminations with a 7-2 card in the team standings. Was their game plan and plays already read well by the opposing teams? Maybe they need to do something different.

More of today’s game highlights from Waylon Galvez of Manila Bulletin Online (mb.com.ph).

Air21 Has Something to Prove
By Waylon Galvez | November 26, 2008

The first time Air21 and San Miguel Beer met this season, it needed two overtime periods to decide a ‘controversial’ game.

The Beermen actually won, 130-129, last Nov. 5, but the Express insisted they won it in the first OT following a three-pointer by Ranidel de Ocampo, but the referees ruled it only as a two that led to the second overtime.

Air21 team manager Lito Alvarez, who is also the PBA board vice-chairman, put the game under protest a day after their game with SMB.

In his letter to Commissioner Sonny Barrios, Alvarez was asking for a replay of their game.

Barrios, however, upheld San Miguel’s win, despite his admission that game officials committed a severe judgment error, saying: "it did not decide the outcome of the game."

Alvarez elevated the case to the board chaired by Joaqui Trillo of Alaska. The Board is set to meet yesterday to vote on the merits of Air21’s protest but decided to move it today.

But even without the Board decision, Air21 coach Bo Perasol said his team is fully motivated when they meet the Beermen (7-5) at 5 p.m. as the race for playoff berth heats up in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup today at the Araneta Coliseum.

Defending champion Sta. Lucia (6-5) faces Talk ’N Text (5-6) in the other game at 7:30 p.m.

"Gusto talaga namin patunayan na amin ‘yung larong ‘yun, panalo kami dun," Perasol said.

Both the Realtors and Tropang Texters are nursing painful setbacks, as the former dropped an 81-93 defeat to Fiesta Cup champion Barangay Ginebra Kings while the latter fell to the Alaska Aces, 86-113, over the weekend.

After a tight first quarter, TNT had no answer in Alaska’s 26-0 run bridging the late part of the period and early second frame. That allowed the Aces to dictate the tempo and led the Texters by as many as 42 points.

The 26-0 run of Alaska was the second all-time high in league history behind Ginebra’s 32-0 versus Shell in Game 5 of the 1991 Reinforced Conference.

Sta. Lucia mentor Boyet Fernandez said they have to bring the same intensity like when they first downed TNT, 117-96, last Oct. 12.

"We very well know that TNT will come out strong," Fernandez said. "It’s really hard to play a team like TNT coming off a loss. But we’re also coming off a loss and we need to come out strong."

Ryan Reyes, last season’s Rookie of the Year, is expected to play after missing four games due to back spasm, but Kelly Williams remains a doubtful starter because of an eye injury he sustained in a game versus Rain or Shine.

All eyes, however, are on the SMB-Air21 game.

The Express are gunning for their fourth straight win, after beating Rain or Shine (106-103) in Lucena City, Coca-Cola (111-101) and Red Bull (92-89), while the Beermen are hoping to rebound from an 83-84 loss to the Purefoods Giants.

1. Trade News: San Miguel Beermen Gets Alex Cabagnot, Sends Mike Cortez to Air21 Express Photo Credit: PBA.PH The San Miguel Corporation (SMC) management started the retooling of San Miguel Beermen and the Barangay Ginebra...
2. San Miguel Beermen Battles Air21 Express, Starts Title Defense Photo credit: PBA.PH The day for the San Miguel Beermen‘s first match up this 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference starts as...
3. Alex Cabagnot Shines as San Miguel Beermen Derails Air21 Express Photo Credit: PBA.PH As always, its good to start defending the crown with a win. The San Miguel Beermen achieved...