Winners and losers in Star vs Ginebra ‘Manila Clasico’
Forget the fact that Star Hotshots and Ginebra San Miguel have losing records, they are still the PBA’s crowd darlings.
Star won the final Manila Clasico of the 2014-2015 PBA season, 89-82 Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum which showed the Hotshots’ balance and resiliency, and a glimmer of Ginebra’s “never-say-die” spirit.
READ: PBA: Star squanders lead, recovers to nip Ginebra
Article continues after this advertisementBoth teams are under the .500 mark with Star at 3-4 and Ginebra at worse 3-5 but the 17,044 people who watched the game at the Big Dome didn’t mind the records.
Of course, there were winners and losers, and Inquirer.net goes deeper on who got the laurels and who got the dirt.
Winners:
Article continues after this advertisement1. Joe Devance, SF, Star Hotshots
Joe DeVance goes for the block. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
He got his flat top going, and his stroke going.
Joe Devance, the Hotshots versatile forward, led his team with 26 points and eight rebounds and he did most of the damage in the second half when the game lived up to its Clasico label.
READ: For Devance, focus on defense and offense will follow
From defense to offense, Devance made his mark on the floor in 37 minutes of action.
Marqus Blakely and Orlando Johnson were the only two players to play more minutes than Devance.
Devance had to pester Johnson, who finished with 35 points, but to get 26 points in the process is not shabby to say the least for Joe.
2. Alex Mallari, G/F, Star Hotshots
Alex Mallari. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
He may not have had much of an impact numbers-wise, but Alex Mallari had his Michael Jordan moment in the PBA’s most-watched game.
Star Hotshots had a 12-point lead, 83-71, with more than two minutes remaining in the game before Ginebra went on a frantic 8-0 run to cut the deficit to four with 1:13 remaining.
Then Mallari found an open lane, jumped from just above the free-throw line, stretched his left arm for a sweet finger roll to give the Hotshots an 85-79 cushion with 53.5 seconds remaining in the game.
In the end, Mallari discounted the Jordan comment and said he’d take a Manu Ginobili comparison any time.
3. Orlando Johnson, SF, Ginebra San Miguel
Orlando Johnson. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Forget his team lost for a moment and marvel at Orlando Johnson’s will to give Ginebra San Miguel the Manila Clasico win.
Johnson had a 35-point, 11-rebound effort, shooting 42 percent from the field and 42 percent from deep, all while going up against throngs of Star Hotshots defenders.
He had to carry Ginebra almost singlehandedly with only Japeth Aguilar the other Ginebra player to score on double-digits.
4. The 17,044 fans
They packed Smart Araneta Coliseum like a Sunday mass and their religion did not disappoint.
All the 17,044 fans in attendance in the historic dome witnessed the magic of Star Hotshots, the near return of Ginebra’s “never-say-die” credo, and a spectacle of Philippine basketball.
Losers:
1. Japeth Aguilar, PF, Ginebra San Miguel
Japeth Aguilar. PBA IMAGES
Yes, Japeth Aguilar had 18 points and an emphatic two-handed jam but the lanky forward fouled out in the fourth quarter and could not recover a botched pass for an open jump shot.
Aguilar was open near the left wing with less than 10 seconds remaining in the game and with Ginebra trailing 86-82, but alas, the ball did not land on his hands for a wide-open jump shot.
A catch there could have cut the deficit even to 86-84 with Aguilar almost automatic from the spot.
He also fouled out with a few seconds remaining.
2. Marc Pingris, PF, Star Hotshots
Marc Pingris. PBA IMAGES
Marc Pingris was a far cry from his normal self who practically held the paint despite being smaller than other big men.
During the Clasico, Pingris only played in 26 minutes before he fouled out with less than two minutes remaining in the game and Ginebra banging on the Hotshots lead.
Pingris finished with two points, four rebounds, three assists, and three turnovers.
3. Greg Slaughter, C, Ginebra San Miguel
Greg Slaughter. PBA IMAGES
In his second game back after recovering from an ankle injury, Greg Slaughter still wasn’t himself.
After MVP June Mar Fajardo got the better of him in Slaughter’s last game, it was the smaller Hotshots front court that neutralized him.
Slaughter finished with four points, five boards, one block, and shot a poor 33 percent from the field. CFC
