STAR begins its quest to defend the crown that is left of its grand-slam collection against top seed Alaska in Game One of their best-of-five semifinal series in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Hotshots were unsuccessful in the first two conferences this season but are in a position to retain the season-ending tournament crown. But first, the Hotshots have to go through the Aces who they face at 7 p.m.
“Alaska is the No. 1 seed this conference for a reason: they have played the best and most consistent basketball without a doubt,” Hotshots Head Coach Tim Cone said.
“Coach Alex [Compton] has really developed a deep bench that can maintain their pressure throughout the game. We’ll have to be careful with tempo and make sure we play our game, not theirs,” he added.
The two teams took different routes to the semis—Star needed to win twice against GlobalPort, while Alaska made short work of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the quarterfinals.
The Hotshots demolished GlobalPort, 126-73, in their first quarterfinal match to offset Batang Pier’s twice-to-beat advantage then repeated in their knockout encounter, 101-94.
Alaska actually encountered turbulence before landing safely in the semifinals. Compton’s Aces had to come back from a 16-point deficit before silencing the upset-conscious Kings, 114-108, to clinch the Final Four slot.
“I expect a great series. They are a strong team, we are a strong team. They are playing well, we are playing well,” said Compton, whose wife gave birth to their daughter on Tuesday, giving him more inspiration in the series.
“I expect it to be a long, tiring, physical series. I think it will be one the fans should enjoy,” he said.
Romeo Travis is expected to lead the Aces together with Cyrus Baguio, Jayvee Casio, Sonny Thoss and Calvin Abueva.
The Hotshots are banking on Marqus Blakely, their do-it-all import who tallied 15 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists in their do-or-die contest against GlobalPort.
Aside from Blakely, Cone has been getting consistent numbers from two-time Most Valuable Player James Yap, Mark Barroca, Marc Pingris, Peter June Simon and Alex Mallari to offset their slow start in the tournament.
Former Ginebra import Jackson Vroman, meanwhile, passed away on Monday after a freak accident in his California home. He was 34.
According to Dan Bilzerian, a friend of Vroman, the naturalized Lebanese player fell from the stairs, hit his head and drowned in a swimming pool.
Vroman suited up for the Kings in the 2012 Commissioner’s Cup and led the team to the semifinals. He was a second-round pick by the Chicago Bulls in the 2004 National Basketball Association Draft and had stints with the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Hornets.
Image credits: Kevin de la Cruz