Welcome to the Gary David Show.
David erupted for 37 points, highlighted by eight three-pointers, to lead Powerade to a classic 131-123 overtime win to knock off No. 1 seed B-MEG in the quarterfinals of the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup Sunday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Picking up from where he left off in his team’s 97-88 win in the first game, David played like a man possessed in the last 17 minutes of the match, hitting one big shot after another as the Tigers repeated their unbelievable performance against the heavily-favored Llamados.
Powerade tries to complete a gigantic upset against top seed B-MEG as they square off in a knockout game in the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
The Tigers eye their second win in the row against the Llamados in the lone game at 6 p.m. to be just the third team in the history of the PBA playoffs to dislodge a No. 1 ranked team.
“After the win, there are no doubts in the minds of the players we can compete against B-MEG,” said Powerade coach Bo Perasol, whose team forced a do-or-die game with a 97-88 win last Wednesday.
MIKE Cortez is on a roll and so is Barangay Ginebra.
The 2003 top draft pick continued to crank up his all-around game, not only helping the Kings stretch their winning streak to five but also earning for himself the Accel-PBA Player of the Week honors for the period Dec. 5 to 11.
It was only the second such citation for Cortez since Jan. 2-8 of the 2005-06 Fiesta Conference, while he was still with Alaska and Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen is foremost among those glad to see him playing without the injuries that have made his career an up-and-down one the past few years.
Rain or Shine showed the “never-say-die” spirit that Barangay Ginebra is known for.
The Elasto Painters clawed back from a 17-point deficit and banked on the heroics of rookie Paul Lee, Jeff Chan and Beau Belga to shock the Gin Kings, 112-105, in overtime and steal Game One of their best-of-three quarterfinal series Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
After trailing by 13 points entering the fourth quarter, Rain or Shine exploded for 43 points in the final 12 minutes and made the shots that mattered in the extra period to grab a 1-0 lead in the series.
Petron Blaze leaned on big shots from Alex Cabagnot and Dennis Miranda in the fourth quarter to beat Meralco, 91-84, and take Game One of their best-of-three quarterfinal series in the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Cabagnot had two straight four-point plays while Miranda hit a three-point shot and a three-point play that helped the Boosters secure the win. Petron needs just one more win to meet defending champion Talk ’N Text in the best-of-seven semifinals.
Arwind Santos finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds, rookie Chris Lutz added 18 while Cabagnot dished out an all-around performance with 14 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
San Miguel Beermen got its first win in its debut in international play Thursday while the AirAsia Philippine Patriots will begin their campaign on Friday in the “To Be Number 1 Basketball Challenge” – a preseason tournament of the ASEAN Basketball League held at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok.
The Beermen defeated the Indonesia Warriors, 76-70, in the tournament opener with Chris Banchero leading the way with 21 points. Imports Richard Jeter added 16 points while Dalron Johnson tallied 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Warriors led, 43-37, at the half, according to the team’s Twitter account, but the Beermen, coached by seven-time best import Bobby Parks, were able to mount a rally in the third period to take the win.
Despite being away from basketball for over a decade, Robert Jaworski’s passion for the sport has never wavered.
Jaworski, for years the PBA’s living legend, still follows the exploits of the Philippine basketball team, and thinks that the squad is close to being kings in Asian basketball once more.
“Baka mga five years na lang yan and we can become Asian champions again,” said Jaworski, a former Olympian who coached the first all-professional national basketball team to a silver medal in the 1990 Asian Games.
B-Meg coach Tim Cone insists their twice-to-beat advantage over Powerade in their PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals match-up is not a sure ticket to the next round.
Cone considers Powerade a threat that can be very dangerous if his B-Meg Llamados don’t do their job.
The Llamados, the elimination round topnotchers, take their first of two cracks at the semifinals in taking on the Tigers at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“We’ll have to be sharp right at the get-go. In a short series like this, there’s a very little margin for error,” said Cone.
IN A recent interview, Barako Bull guard Willie Miller admitted his team is treading dangerous grounds.
"Parang naghinintay lang kami ng playoffs at saka doon i-tu-turn on ang game. Lalo na kaming mga beterano, dahil nga sanay na kami sa playoff atmosphere," said two-time Most Valuable Player.
"Medyo delikado iyon dahil baka hindi mag-on," he added. "Kaya nga dapat iyung desire at energy namin naipapakita na ngayon pa lang. Kapag di nangyari iyon sa susunod na laro at lalo na sa playoffs kasalanan na talaga namin."
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