16-5 (+12.1u)
4-0 day today, that was fun
Haven't seen the stats and stories yet but with the way ginebra/tnt played out, I won't be surprised if magnolia pulls of an upset here. Tnt is still the overwhelming favorite though. One thing's for sure, it's going to be a slow game for both teams.
No time to make a writeup today, but this is what I'm going to bet
Tnt - 5
Under 196.5
16-7 (+10.3u)
Meralco - 7 (3u)
Over 185.5 (2u)
There are a number of things at stake here:
1. A loss for Ros means outright elimination
2. A loss for Meralco means a huge risk in losing the 1-2 spot and a possible face off with magnolia or smb, which nobody likes.
Of course, both teams would want to avoid that so expect a toughout from both teams. That said, meralco is the superior team, with a better coach, better system, and far better players. Don't let the smb win fool you(smb lost because of their reliance to their iso plays, forced by the inexistence of team chemistry with the new import), ros is a middling team with a weak interior presence that relies on strong half court traps and quick defensive switches to win grindy games. Their main weakness is that due to a gimped roster, their stagnant defensive pattern is probably the only way they can win, and coach normal black knows that the best way to deal with that kind of defense is to use a dominant big man, and that's where Durham comes in play. Belga, Torres, Ponferrada, and Ross(by himself) cannot match up with Durham's inside presence, which will force double teams, disrupting their vaunted perimeter switches. Furthermore, the backcourts will be evenly matched, so there is a gaping disadvantage inside for Ros without any significant advantage outside to offset it.
Considering that both teams will be focused and at 100% , expect this game to be a minor blowout for the bolts. The only way meralco loses is if they play like smb last game, which I doubt will happen due to their import's built in chemistry with the core team and their overall trust with Black's sytem.
105 - 93 by Meralco
16-7 (+10.3u)
Meralco - 7 (3u)
Over 185.5 (2u)
There are a number of things at stake here:
1. A loss for Ros means outright elimination
2. A loss for Meralco means a huge risk in losing the 1-2 spot and a possible face off with magnolia or smb, which nobody likes.
Of course, both teams would want to avoid that so expect a toughout from both teams. That said, meralco is the superior team, with a better coach, better system, and far better players. Don't let the smb win fool you(smb lost because of their reliance to their iso plays, forced by the inexistence of team chemistry with the new import), ros is a middling team with a weak interior presence that relies on strong half court traps and quick defensive switches to win grindy games. Their main weakness is that due to a gimped roster, their stagnant defensive pattern is probably the only way they can win, and coach normal black knows that the best way to deal with that kind of defense is to use a dominant big man, and that's where Durham comes in play. Belga, Torres, Ponferrada, and Ross(by himself) cannot match up with Durham's inside presence, which will force double teams, disrupting their vaunted perimeter switches. Furthermore, the backcourts will be evenly matched, so there is a gaping disadvantage inside for Ros without any significant advantage outside to offset it.
Considering that both teams will be focused and at 100% , expect this game to be a minor blowout for the bolts. The only way meralco loses is if they play like smb last game, which I doubt will happen due to their import's built in chemistry with the core team and their overall trust with Black's sytem.
105 - 93 by Meralco
Established in 1995,
Hot Forum Topics
