Explosive starts for Phoenix, Columbian

Phoenix Pulse needed a second scrambling victory in overtime again to steal the thunder from lowly Columbian Dyip as the 44th edition of the Philippine Basketball Association got going with eye-popping results last week.

By slipping past the favored Meralco Bolts (93-92) Wednesday and the TNT KaTropa (93-84) Saturday, the Fuel Masters found themselves in an unlikely role as leaders of the season-opening Philippine Cup which San Miguel Beer hopes to clinch for an unprecedented fifth straight year.

But before Phoenix pinned a second straight loss on the KaTropa, Columbian was the toast of the all-Filipino tournament by humbling SMB, 124-118, to match its lone victory in 11 games while playing as Kia Picanto the previous season.

The overwhelming title favorites with Gilas Pilipinas big man Christian Standhardinger and crack guard Terrence Romeo boosting their already powerful lineup, the Beermen just couldn’t match the intensity and firepower of the Dyip, who also finished with a 1-10 record in the recent Governors’ Cup.

Six Columbian players combined for 96 points with top rookie draftee CJ Perez firing 24 in the second half to finish with 26 and the veteran Jackson Corpuz adding 21. While Arwind Santos produced a game-high 34 for SMB, Standhardinger and Romeo, who later sprained his left ankle, combined for just 13 points.

And June Mar Fajardo? Five days after nailing a record fifth consecutive PBA Most Valuable Player award, the 6-foot-10 center missed at least five pointblank attempts, committed seven turnovers and wound up with just 16 points.

The Beermen actually barely survived the Dyip in their last Philippine Cup meeting, prevailing 108-106 after blowing a 21-point lead. The winning basket came from Marcio Lassiter after a perfect inbound pass by Chris Ross, who scored only two points this time.

Kia’s lone win last season was a 98-94 decision of Rain or Shine, which got going this time with a 96-87 decision of NLEX. The other early winners were Barangay Ginebra with a 90-79 rout of TNT and NorthPort with a 117-91 romp over Blackwater.

The Meralco Bolts later bounced back with 99-94 win over the Elite, who fell into a tie at the cellar with TNT.

With Troy Rosario and Jericho Cruz out with injuries, the KaTropa stand to lose another key player after Michael Miranda, a recruit from NLEX, was thrown out for punching Justin Chua of Phoenix without provocation just seconds before their game ended Saturday.