PBA insider

Followed by your favorite basketball stars. Views expressed do not reflect that of the Philippine Basketball Association. New Facebook account: 'PBA insider'.

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

That Wemby turnover probably just cost the Spurs the title unless they win 2 straight in New York. Taking 1 and going down 3-1 isn't gonna cut it. When it's winning time, Wemby needs to be taking shots around the rim. 13 consecutive playoff victories for this Knicks team. Unreal.

[Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpears]

No team in NBA history who has lost the first two games of the Finals at home has ever come back to win it.

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

Also, it's evident that Dylan Harper already needs to be playing more than De'Aaron Fox (7 pts, 3/13 in 38 mins in Game 1). Benching Harper in the 4th quarter clearly hurt the Spurs. Crazy to think that Fox's mammoth 4-year, $229 million contract will only kick in next season.

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

As unbelievable as Wemby is, he really needs to develop some sort of a post game (especially at 7'5) for him to reach his insane maximum potential. Shooting 6/21 (2/9 3fg) from the field in an NBA Finals game is unacceptable for supposedly the best player in the world today.

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

Will the PBA just wait for no.1 pick Geo Chiu to get harvested (2-year trade ban) before it forces the sale of Terrafirma? Strong Group reportedly taking over Titan is obviously great but the Dyip and Blackwater seriously need to go. Saying it's long overdue is an understatement.

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

As expected, Jerrick Ahanmisi (28, 21.3 ppg) is headed to Smb after blowing up with Terrafirma. With the ages and production of Ahanmisi and Paolo Hernandez (27, 9.8 ppg) however, a trade involving Chris Miller (32, 4 ppg) and Juami Tiongson (35, 2 ppg) doesn't appear to be fair.

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

Just as I had the Spurs winning over Okc, San Antonio should be the faves to win the NBA title over the Knicks - who btw has been awesome in the playoffs. But again, the East isn't the West. Kat can't defend Wemby so will Og be the main guy on the 7'5 alien while giving up 10"?

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

Meanwhile, Gsw has missed the playoffs in 3 of the last 4 years with Steph dealing with injuries. Kerr is an incredibly mediocre head coach without a complete cast of stars. To give him a lavish 2-year extension into possibly the twilight of Curry's career is absolutely asinine.

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

How the heck did the Dubs not realize Mike Brown is a better coach than Steve Kerr? Brown was the assoc. head coach in 3 of its recent titles, is a 2x coach of the year, led the effin Kings to the playoffs in 2023 and now has the Knicks (11 straight playoff wins) in the Finals.

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

How the heck did the Dubs not realize Mike Brown is a better coach than Steve Kerr? Brown was the assoc. head coach in 3 of its recent titles, is a 2x coach of the year, led the effin Kings to the playoffs in 2023 and now has the Knicks (11 straight playoff wins) in the Finals.

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

It's very unfortunate that Bol Bol has suffered a partial Achilles tendon tear. Though quite possibly not anything more serious, the 7'3 super import will obviously miss the rest of the conference and likely won't be back on a basketball floor for another 6-9 months.

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

Victor Wembanyama just passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the youngest player in NBA history to record 40 pts and 20 rebs in a playoff game. The 7'5 Frenchman is looking at Shai receiving his 2nd MVP award and showing he's already the best player in the world.

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

James Harden did it again, scoring a lousy 9 pts on 2/10 fg shooting in Game 7 against the Pistons. Fortunately for the Cavs, Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, Sam Merrill, and Evan Mobley delivered the goods as they move on to the East Finals vs the Knicks

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

Nlex may have been the top seed but Tnt definitely felt like the favorites and as things turned out, it wins back to back games to advance to the semis behind the dominant play of Bol Bol who is poised to capture the Best Import award. Meralco will prove to be a stronger foe tho.

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

Officiating almost ruined a terrific game between Meralco and Magnolia. Newsome flopped vs Sangalang, def. foul (wrong review). Lastimosa threw the ball at Jones' foot, not a kickball (wrong review). Lastimosa extended his leg causing contact with Quinto, off. foul (wrong call).

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

Aside from 12-minute quarters and the 6-foul + penalty limits, the PBA should 💯 implement Fiba rules next conf, not only on foul calls and the possesion arrow but the whole shebang. The PBA should also have been copying the euro brand of play instead of the NBA for decades now.

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

Hamstrings are tricky and Ginebra better hope Justin Brownlee didn't suffer anything than a minor tweak (or doesn't aggravate it). If he's not fully healthy against a cohesive, well coached Ros team in the semis, the E-Painters will hold the upperhand in terms of matchups.

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

The Warriors losing both Stackhouse and Stotts will surely expose Steve Kerr's weaknesses more (similar to past losses of Atkinson, Brown) so they'd need to get first rate lead assistants to cover up for those huge setbacks and Willie Green + possibly Iggy are top names to watch.

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

@Intramzki Ros will have to defeat Ginebra and it won't be easy. Wishing them the best though. They feel designed to reach the finals but again, anything can happen in a series.

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

Phenomenal win by Rain or Shine over powerhouse San Miguel en route to another semis stint. Andrei Caracut's shooting was razor sharp, firing 29 big points on 6 threes. The ex-Dlsu guard rang the Bell a lot in the hard fought victory and is certainly playing inspired basketball.

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

Tough way for Phoenix to end the conf in a blowout loss but Charles Tiu handled the team well despite the circumstances surrounding the team, most especially the late replacement of James Dickey. There are of course rumors swirling. Whether they'll bear fruit remains to be seen.

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

Roster wise, it's time to trade Alec Stockton. He's a superb player but it's clear he's not the best fit alongside Juan, the Justins, Mikey, Poli, etc. and swapping him for a Barefield (+ assets or whatever's necessary), Ricci Rivero or Javi GdL could prove to be advantageous.

[PBA insider @PBAinsider]

Rajko Toroman is no doubt a brilliant coach but he's 71 and may not have the vigor to call the shots on a full time basis. Personally, I'd keep Danny I, Willie, Capacio and replace everyone else. Rajko can remain but only as a consultant. Implementing a real system is essential.