Who will stop TNT and Kobe?

The PBA Governors’ Cup has completed its semis cast. The classification phase or eliminations has separated the frontrunners from the also-rans and even the lucky ones from the luckless.
Player injuries and a spate of close games lost have created most of the problems for the eliminated squads. Those who are at the top of the standings seem to have settled in with their imports and adjusted to personnel changes.
Rumors and rumblings about which import will stay and complete the tournament will continue nonetheless as long as there is time, money and a need to change an import.
Talk ’N Text will be undoubtedly one of the favorites to take the first of two final slots. Its 6-2 card will be carried over to the next round and it will give them a degree of separation from Petron, Alaska and Ginebra that all finished at 5-3.
Chot Reyes’ wards are playing cohesive basketball and the possibility of a Grand Slam triumph is motivating the team no end. Only Crispa, San Miguel and Alaska have achieved this rare feat and etching the Talk ’N Text name along those great teams is an honor the Tropang Texters don’t want to miss.
Who will stop TNT?
Alaska and Rain or Shine have two of the best imports in the conference and this could be the most significant variable in the semis and the finals.
TNT plays with a smaller Maurice Baker but that deficit is offset by the relentless attacking game Reyes employs. So in the end, how the local crews play and adapt in the pressure cooker will determine their fates.
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Our basketball leagues take a momentary backseat to Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose and other NBA stars this weekend. There is no question about the impact and popularity of these players, given the international stature of the NBA.
Fans have brought out their wallets to avail themselves of this rare opportunity to see the stars in the flesh. By all means, we should have the NBA stars come over to play for us and let’s hope that this leads to a regular season game finally being played here.
Buying tickets to this spectacle should not be a problem for those who can afford the tickets that are priced close to what you would pay for an NBA game in the US.
Often, we squirm about how astronomical ticket prices are for these exhibition games and acts like Beyonce, Justin Bieber and Kylie Minogue.
To a large extent, we do shelve out the same amount when we watch the NBA and shows in the US, Hong Kong, Singapore or Macau. We just don’t overreact because the dollar cost of the tickets seems more bearable when we’re abroad and there’s nothing a valid credit card can’t do.
For the Manila NBA show, many parents struggled whether to buy tickets or not for their children who idolize Kobe. There just aren’t enough and were sold out early.
Having Bryant and the other NBA stars is a rare gig and that’s why parents tried to find ways to get their kids tickets for any of the two games. Smart parenting should determine though if the prices are affordable for the family, even if it’s Kobe who’s playing at Araneta.