Life at the top

(A fan's view of why the PBA is currently a three-team race)

San Miguel Beermen (7-2)

Living up to their superstar billing, the San Miguel Beermen have found ways to win despite a shaky rotation that has point guard Alex Cabagnot starting and playing crunch time minutes on some nights, and Denok Miranda on others. Consistent MVP candidate Arwind Santos is at it again with averages of 18ppg and 9rpg, Dondon Hontiveros with 15 and 4, and Jay Washington with 14 and 9. If anything, the Beermen thrive on an uptempo game that utilizes the strengths of Cabagnot, Santos and Washington while they are often perplexed against disciplined (read: slow), half-court type of offenses (read: Alaska) or against teams with established back-to-the-basket type of players.

Talk ‘n’ Text Tropang Texters (6-2)

For all the love thrown Joe DeVance’s way (the guy’s averaging close to 20 and 9), Jimmy Alapag is and should be the clear cut Best Player of the Conference-race leader. Ignoring all the crazy stat-filling freaks in the league (DeVance, Williams, Santos and Washington) and the high scoring Gary David, Alapag has done what few have believed he could (still) do—lead his team to the top of the standings despite losing key teammate Macmac Cardona in the offseason. Granted, TNT is a “loaded” team, but they are starting to look more blue collar-ish by the day with Kelly Williams averaging 13 and 9, and Harvey Carey 12 and 10. Having watched some of their games, other than the brotherly beatdown on Meralco, TNT has relied more on out-gunning their opponents rather than making stops—this, despite having aces like Carey, Williams and Ryan Reyes on the roster. Look for Rich Alvarez to get more minutes now that Williams has been loaned to Smart Gilas for the Asiad.

Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings (6-2)

The team with the most number of superstar/established guards looks like they’ve finally found some chemistry, winning five straight after a so-so 1-2 start. Willie Miller is starting at the SG with National teammate Jayjay Helterbrand, while Mark Caguioa is back in his old role as sparkplug off the bench. Jong Uichico starts with Helterbrand and Miller, then goes to the old “Fast and Furious” combo of Helterbrand and Caguioa, and later shifts to a more “disciplined” (thanks to their Alaska triangle system background) pair of Miller and Mike Cortez. The Gin Kings have also opted to abandon their inside-out game to further highlight their strengths while relegating bigs Eric Menk, Rico Villanueva, Rudy Hatfield and Billy Mamaril as their enforcers/ rebounders (which actually works as shown by their 6-2 slate). Of the 3 teams, it’s actually Ginebra that has shown traces of championship-caliber defense, loading up on the opposing team’s guards and forcing steals on the perimeter. Now that balance has been achieved on the offensive end, the only thing standing in the Gin Kings’ way is the possibility of injuries—something that most of their star players (Helterbrand, Caguioa, Menk, Tubid, Hatfield, Cortez, Intal) have long histories of.