PBA: Petron Blaze Boosters Philippine Cup preview

Last Philippine Cup: The Blaze Boosters were intent on getting a second-straight title, sweeping the Meralco Bolts in the quarterfinals. But they ran up against rivals Talk 'N Text in a rematch of 2011 Governors' Cup, and got the opposite of what happened then, falling in seven games. Offseason Moves: Just like a talented player stockpiling resources in an intense game of Starcraft 2, the Petron Blaze Boosters line-up on paper continues to overwhelm every other PBA team out there, with the exception of the defending champions, Talk 'N Text. They had arguably the best moves in the draft, nabbing Junemar Fajardo with the first overall pick and selecting Alex Mallari, whom they can take the time to develop into another versatile wing option. Mallari is just gravy on what is already an imposing swingman rotation for Petron; the real story here is getting the big fella from Cebu, Fajardo. Even without playing a single professional game, he has an intimidating presence on the floor, and will be a key player for the Boosters moving forward. Oh, and they got Magi Sison and Paolo Hubalde in a trade. Let’s move on. Three keys to being successful in the Philippine Cup 1. Making the pieces fit -  Another year, another stacked line-up for Petron. The difference this year as compared to the past is that there is an opportunity for all the pieces to fall into place properly here. For all intents and purposes, it seems like Petron is looking to wash away the stigma that all these talented players can’t jive with each other, and is looking to focus on just being a juggernaut on the court. If Arwind Santos and Jay Washington can figure out the right balance in the frontcourt? They have an overload of versatility. If Chris Lutz and Marcio Lassiter can raise hell similar to how they did for the National team last year? Teams might not even be able to set up their offense. These tweaks as well as their new-found strength at the center position with Fajardo will have other teams trembling. 2. Coach Olsen at the helm -  Normally we would say that a rookie coach leading this bumper crop of stars would be a recipe for disaster, but the man at the helm for Petron is no ordinary new guy. Olsen Racela is unquestionably one of the greatest players in the franchise’s history, and instantly commands the respect of every single player on the floor. We saw the team struggle in the preseason to figure out the system of Racela, but that’s actually a good thing. There’s too much talent on the floor for the Boosters to not figure things out, and once Racela has his players grasping his schemes, the combination of trust for the coaching staff and the players on the court will prove to be too much for many. And we heard that their consultant, Rajko Toroman has a few good ideas up his sleeve too. 3. Unleash the Kraken - This cannot be stated enough: Junemar Fajardo is BIG. He's big not just size-wise, but in terms of the effect he'll have on his opponents, nay, the entire PBA. This is a kid who despite his rookie status, other teams will have to prepare defensive schemes to stop him. The last few preseason games have shown what Fajardo can do when he decides to get gritty and dominate on both ends of the floor. There might be a feeling-out process for Junemar to start the season, but with his polished offensive skills and imposing height, he will open up things for Petron in ways that we’ve never seen before. The Next BIG Thing is here, and he’s ready to take over the league. What’s the one thing that scares Petron fans? While we’ve raved about the potential to dominate this Petron squad has, the worst-kept secret of Petron is still out there for everyone: This team plays so much better with a shortened rotation. The last time the Boosters won a championship two years ago, they set-up a pecking order and followed it until the end. Key players like Lutz, Lassiter, Alex Cabagnot and Dorian Pena are banged up, so we might see the team at less than 100% for a while. Will Petron stand to benefit from the chemistry sure to come with players getting a healthy amount of minutes? What will happen to their rotations when the squad is completely healthy? How this will likely play out: At the minimum, a trip to the Finals should be the expectation for the Petron Blaze Boosters. As long as they continue to have this staggering amount of talent walk onto the floor, they will always be in the mix for a ring. And now they have the Kraken to go to in the post. Couple that with the wisdom and intelligence of Coach Olsen Racela, and it’s hard to see any team short of the defending champions take down the Petron Blaze Boosters. This might be their time to go all-out. - AMD, GMA News