WHO did their assignment in the long breather?
The PBA took a 16-day break after the elimination round, and preparation done during the lull could be a big thing as the Commissioner's Cup semis hostilities fire off Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
It could well factor in the NorthPort-Barangay Ginebra showdown although determination and will to win could be the biggest thing in the end.
These two teams begin their battle at 7:30 p.m. with NorthPort looking to stoke the fire of its top finish in the elims in chase of a breakthrough first PBA finals.
Ginebra, on the other hand, tries to keep its winning tradition brandishing its never-say-die mantra. The Kings, though, could be at a disadvantage, with coach Tim Cone and a number of key players serving duty with Gilas for the most of the two-week breather.
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The semis begins just three days after Gilas' match with New Zealand in Auckland - the last assignment in a tough sked for the Nationals where they made stops in Doha for games against Qatar, Lebanon and Egypt, then in Taipei for a match with the home side.
The big question is the readiness of Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo, Japeth Aguilar and Troy Rosario in their Ginebra return.
Even sans this predicament, Cone said NorthPort is a tough opponent, and that Ginebra needs to be at its best.
NorthPort topped the elims with a 9-3 slate, including a 119-116 win over Ginebra, and Cone believes the Batang Pier are for real.
Cone also feels that NorthPort's import, Kadeem Jack, fills a lot of what the Batang Pier need in terms of rebounding, rim protection, and the ability to score inside.
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Then there are Arvin Tolentino and Joshua Munzon who are playing at an MVP level and carrying the load for coach Bonnie Tan's troops.
A side event for Tolentino is his chase for the Best Player of the Conference award.
For the whole team, it's a battle to bring the franchise to the PBA finals for the first time since entering the league in 2012 carrying the GlobalPort banner.
In all those years, the Batang Pier have made the semis only for the third time. In the two previous Last Four, NorthPort went down beaten, first against Alaska Milk in the 2016 Philippine Cup and second opposite Ginebra in the 2019 Governors' Cup.(SB)
