At The Top of the Mountain

Barangay Ginebra ends the elimination round against defending champion Talk n Text. With an 11-2 record, the Kings enter the playoff phase as the top seed and a twice-to-beat advantage against the 8th seeded team either Global Port or Alaska.The last time Ginebra ended the eliminations as no. 1 in 2006,they went on to win the championship.

The current line-up of Ginebra is worth comparing to the 2006 All-Filipino line-up that won the Kings its last All-Filipino crown. Anchoring the back court of Ginebra that time was Johnny Abarrientos whom the Kings got from Coca Cola together with Billy Mamaril, Rudy Hatfield, and Rafi Reavis. The Fast and The Furious tandem of Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa was playing their best years. Eric Menk was unstoppable inside the paint. The line-up also included gunners like Ronald Tubid, Sunday Salvacion, and Mark Macapagal.

That 2006 line-up of Ginebra emerged as no. 1 during the eliminations. They went on to beat Talk n Text 3-2 in the semis and faced a strong San Miguel side which had Olsen Racela, Danny Seigle, and Danny Ildefonso and Chot Reyes as their coach. The Beermen stormed to a 2-0 advantage in the series but Ginebra came back to win the next four games to win the series 4-2 becoming the fifth team to come back from such deficit. Jayjay Helterbrand was adjudged Finals MVP and Mark Caguioa was Best Player of the Conference.

The 2014 roster of Ginebra is deep up and down the order. Anchoring the front line are the Twin Towers of Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar along with Billy Mamaril, Jayar Reyes, and Brian Faundo. It also includes Chris Ellis and Mac Barracael. Tbe backcourt consists of veterans Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand plus LA Tenorio as the anchors. Coming off the bench are Josh Urbiztondo, Emman Monfort, and rookie James Forrester.

Clearly, the impact of Greg Slaughter was immediately felt. With Japeth churning in BPC-like numbers and with Jay-R Reyes coming off the bench, the Kings have a solid frontline. LA Tenorio leads the league in assists and has effectively controlled the offense of the Kings. Mark Caguioa may no longer be as effective as he was but he remains the "Spark" of the team in terms of leadership.

The current line-up has beaten all the teams in the league accounting for only 2 defeats. But their battle is not yet won. Their ultimate goal is to finally nail their 9th title which has eluded them for six years already.

Kings On A Roll

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel ended the eliminations at the top of the standings after beating then leader Petron Blaze Boosters. When was the last time Ginebra emerged as the no. 1 team after the eliminations? Getting Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar seems to be paying off for the Kings. The Twin Tower combination of Ginebra have continuously logged in double-double numbers game in game out. With the two manning the middle, Ginebra has rolled to five straight wins since absorbing their only loss at the hands of the Bolts.

Aside from Greg and Japeth, Ginebra is also getting consistent contributions from Mac Barracael and Chris Ellis. Josh Urbiztondo is also starting to get his game back. Eman Monfort has been a revelation as well. He may not be scoring but his hustle reminds me so much of Rudy Hatfield. Not to mention the team's veteran unit of Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa. Jay-R Reyes has also delivered solid numbers for the Kings.

Ginebra fans have been used to seeing their team struggling in the early rounds and make a late run in the latter rounds. At the start of the new season, Ginebra seems to have made a significant change-- steamrolling their opponents and finding their way at the top of the mountain. A few more wins and they will move to the next round. Here is hoping that they sustain their strong run in the eliminations and take that momentum all the way to the Finals.