Air21 Express

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is looking at reverting to its old, winning formula by next season.

Deputy league commissioner Chito Salud said plans are afoot at enforcing anew the three-conference format when the PBA turns 36 next year, a proposal the Board is leaning to approve.

The plan was made to accommodate the all-pro national team in its preparation for international tournaments.

"The Board is thinking about that and they are seriously considering it," said Salud, the man expected to succeed Sonny Barrios as PBA commissioner beginning next year.

"There will be extra costs entailed, but it looks positive."

Although there were already suggestions before to adopt anew the three-conference format, it is only now that the Board has seriously contemplated on the matter as means of significantly improving both the gate attendance and tv ratings of the league.

If ever the PBA Governors approve it, Salud said there will definitely be an added twist in its adoption.

"I think our fans and the Board prefer shorter conferences where there will be exciting eliminations and even more exciting playoffs," he pointed out.

"Ever since we started the PBA, there are one All-Filipino (conference) -- traditionally the longest -- and two shorter conferences with imports," Salud said. "What we intend to do is to apply a handicapping system in the Third Conference after looking at the performance of the teams during the first two conferences."

Under the format, the son of the former PBA commissioner Rudy Salud stressed that as much as possible, the league would try to avoid non-bearing games.

But while the plan is aimed at making the league more profitable, Salud mentioned that the Board is likewise scrutinizing the effects of the new format as far as the financial feasibility of it is concerned.

After all, three tournaments in a season entails the team to bring in not just one but two imports. And while the conferences may be shorter, there will definitely be more games to be played, which may translate to added expenses such as players' bonuses. - RCJ, GMANews.TV

Rain or Shine survived a spirited Air21 comeback and scored a gripping 92-89 win Sunday night in the PBA Fiesta Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

The win set up the Elasto Painters in a do-or-die, playoff match with the Coca-Cola Tigers on Friday for the last quarterfinals berth. The winner will earn the right to face the B-Meg Derby Ace Llamados in a best-of-five series.

The Elasto Painters squandered a 21-point, first-half lead, but kept their poise in the endgame to claim the victory.

Rod Nealy hit a clutch three-pointer and Sol Mercado completed a lay up off a steal against Wynne Arboleda as Rain or Shine took the lead for good, 91-87.

"Every time we play Air21, it always ends up the same way -- close game, running game and physical game," said an obviously relieved Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia.

The Elasto Painters previously beat the Express in overtime in the first round, 106-102, and then repeated it in the second round, 113-111, in a game best remembered for their gritty comeback from 28 points down before guard Ryan Arana scored on a putback at the buzzer to win it all.

This time, the Express almost did the same thing on them.

The Express rallied from a 25-46 deficit in the second quarter, and then took an 87-86 lead on an Arboleda basket entering the homestretch of the tightly-fought ball game.

But Nealy nailed his final trey of the game to put Rain or Shine in front, 89-87.

Mercado, then, came through with a big defensive play by anticipating Arboleda's weak pass off a waiting Ronjay Buenafe at the right wing to stretch the lead to four.

"I give credit to the players, especially Sol (Mercado). He failed to join the practice because his dad had a heart attack," said Garcia of the stocky Rain or Shine guard.

"He's dedicated this game and this win for his team and his dad."

Jeff Chan led the Elasto Painters with a conference-high 24 points, highlighted by his steady 3-of-6 shooting from three-point range. His shooting kept the team at bay several times at the height of the Express' big offensive explosion in the third period.

Nealy added 19 and Mercado with 17.

LeRoy Hickerson finished with a team-high 18 points, 14 of them coming in the third period, but none in the pivotal fourth.

The flamboyant import missed a jumper with six seconds left and the Express trailing, 89-91.

The Express fouled Nealy in the next play, to stop the clock, and the Rain or Shine import split his two free throws that opened the door for a last-second, Air21 comeback with 1.1 seconds remaining.

But Hickerson's potential game-tying, three-pointer, came up short at the buzzer, sending Air21 crashing out of the wildcard for the second straight conference. - GMANews.TV

Scores:

Rain or Shine 92 - Chan 24, Nealy 19, Mercado 17, Cruz 9, Norwood 8, Arana 7, Reyes 5, Ibanes 2, Laure 1, Arellano 0, Tang 0, Hrabak 0.

Air21 89 - Hickerson 18, Kramer 17, Buenafe 16, Arboleda 14, Sharma 6, Mamaril 5, Matias 4, Alvarez 4, Belga 3, Williams 2, Najorda 0, Gonzales 0, Ritualo 0.

Quarterscores:25-20, 49-34, 72-71, 92-89

The 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference playoffs begin in earnest today, featuring four teams in a double knockout to start the wildcard plays at the Araneta Coliseum.

Rain or Shine, which narrowly missed an outright quarterfinals entry, and Air21, which barely made the last cut, clash at 6:30 p.m.

Coca-Cola and Sta. Lucia, seventh and eighth placers in the double-round elimination phase, collide earlier at 4 p.m. kicking off the post-elim plays in the season-ending tourney.

Winners in the two "KO" settos advance to another do-or-die match Wednesday deciding which team plays B-MEG Derby Ace in the quarterfinal round.

As the smoke of the elims battle cleared, Talk n Text and San Miguel Beer gained outright berths in the semifinals while Derby Ace, Alaska Milk and Barangay Ginebra secured automatic seats in the quarters.

The Elasto Painters, the Tigers, the Realtors and the Express were left to dispute the last quarters slot through the wildcards considered by league watchers as anybody's game.

Air21 may be the playoffs' last seed but is given equal chance of making the next round.

PBA coaches even consider Air21 a big threat with a prolific import in LeRoy Hickerson and a local lineup strengthened by the addition of former Barako forward Leo Najorda.

The Express have shown big improvement in their game since the arrival of Hickerson.

Hickerson and his teammates will be up against the Rod Nealy-led Rain or Shine team out to recover from a poor performance in a playoff versus Barangay Ginebra Friday.

The other wildcard pairing pits two well-rested teams eager to plunge back into action.

"It's a one-game affair. We will be ready and we will do whatever it takes to qualify for the next game," said Coca-Cola coach Bo Perasol.

"The team is so excited and ready to play. Everybody has counted us out and we are challenged to prove the critics wrong," said Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez.

The losers in today's matches bid the season goodbye, joining Barako Energy Coffee in early vacation. - www.philstar.com