[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’CEU edges Batangas, 72-70 in PBA D-League’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
Saturday, June 17, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
MANILA – Rodrigue Ebondo came up with crucial plays in the endgame as Centro Escolar University Scorpions scored a 72-70 win over Batangas in the 2017 PBA D-League Foundation Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
Ebondo scored the go-ahead putback with 18.1 seconds to play to push the Scorpions up, 71-70, before blocking Batangas’ Joseph Sedurifa on the other end to secure its first win on Thursday night.
The Congolese center finished with double-double 26 points and 22 rebounds to lead the way for the Scorpions, which recovered from two straight defeats to improve to 1-2 win-loss slate.
“Wala na ‘kong masabi kay Rodrigue. Talagang all-out siya para sa amin,” said Scorpions head coach Yong Garcia. “I am glad that we finally got our first win in this conference.”
Christian Uri chipped in 10 markers while Orlan Wamar and Art Aquino combined for 17 points for Scorpions, which uses the tournament in preparation of the collegiate leagues.
Scorpions were comfortably ahead 59-50 early in the final quarter when Batangas went on a huge run behind Cedrick Ablaza, Jessie Saitanan and Sedurifa to come to within a point.
Since then, the match became a seesaw affair until Batangas snatched the lead for the last time at 70-68 on a basket by Ablaza. Ebondo then scored three straight points while Uri added another one for a 72-70 lead.
Ablaza pumped 16 points, six rebounds, and three assists while Saitanan had 12 markers and two boards for Batangas, which suffered its first defeat after winning its first two matches.
BOX SCORE:
CEU 72 – Ebondo 26, Uri 10, Wamar 9, Aquino 8, Intic 6, Casiño 4, Jeruta 3, Arim 2, Cruz 2, Manlangit 2, Guinitaran 0.
BATANGAS 70 – Ablaza 16, Saitanan 12, Sedurifa 9, Bautista 8, De Joya 8, Dela Peña 7, Isit 4, Laude 4, Ragasa 2, Anderson 0, Mag-isa 0, Mendoza 0.
Quarterscores: 23-13, 37-33, 56-50, 72-70./PN
The best ever?
ON OTHER team in NBA history had made a 15-0 playoff run like the Golden State Warriors, and then got the league title with a new 16-1 post season record.
They won their games averaging 13.5 points, second only to the Lew Alcindor-led (before he became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) 1971 Milwaukee Bucks with an average winning margin of 14.5 points.
It doesn’t matter if we’d witnessed perhaps the most boring playoffs the league had ever presented. Portland and Utah simply didn’t have the material and San Antonio was badly depleted. It could have been a different story had the Spurs been healthy. Could have, would have. Bottom line is that records were made by GSW.
If post-season records will be the basis for “best ever teams”, the Warriors rank first. Following Golden State as the best playoff team in league history are:
2001 Los Angeles Lakers 15-1 W-L 12.8 points winning margin
1983 Philadelphia 76ers 12-1 6.5
1999 San Antonio Spurs 15-2 7.2
1989 Detroit Pistons 15-2 7.7
1991 Chicago Bulls 15-2 11.7
1971 Milwaukee Bucks 12-2 14.5
1982 Los Angeles Lakers 12-2 6.0
Warrior nation will agree on the “best ever” tag but there will always be skeptics and arguments. We’re all dealing here with what used to be everyone’s favorite team but with the arrival of Kevin Durant, Golden State has become, for quite a number of hoops fanatics, a despicable team – an assembly of talents where people from the opposite side of the fence love to hate, and evil team. Yes, because of the abundant surplus, GSW became a super team, the instant envy and scorn of the lesser assembled.
And because of these super teams, the balance of power in the NBA is now among a few franchises that willingly spend millions of dollars to lure and acquire top-caliber players. The level of competition has become limited that it is easy to predict Conference finalists. With the new spending power of teams, this practice is getting out of hand.
KD refuses to admit that the Warriors are such, stating that Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were not top prospects and were underrated and that Draymond Green was a second round pickup that nobody wanted. He said many thought that his teammates won’t become this good.
“A lot of people didn’t expect these guys to be where they are today. Super team? No. We just work extremely well together. Coach puts us in position to maximize our strengths,” KD said.
From a Laker fan since forever, GSW is not a super team, it’s a ridiculously unstoppable super team that even LeBron James can’t find one single way to prevent their rampage.
So what defines a super team? Owners, thru free agency, add star power to become potent. The Celtics started the trend when they traded for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to join Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo. There’s the infamous Decision when LeBron and Chris Bosh joined Dwayne Wade in Maimi. When Bron returned to Cleveland, he helped recruit Kevin Love. This time, there is star alignment in the Bay Area for several million reasons.
The pre-KD Warriors were a very, very good team with their young core gotten thru the draft. Thru trades, they built a solid support and now this. Unless Cleveland or Boston or maybe Toronto pull surprises in the off season, GSW is it for a few more years.
Back to KD. Near, far, wherever they are, people are still taking shots at him for bolting OKC. Since July of last year up to his winning his first NBA championship, he is scorned for joining Golden State and creating what looks to be a long basketball empire. Whatever. As if he cares what we think or say. He got his title ring already. The first of maybe several rings to come. Two choices really – love him or hate him.
Now that the NBA Finals are done, let’s all get back to our original teams and hope that the June 23 Rookie Draft will bring future sunshine to our gloomy past./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
