PBA: Alaska sweeps Ginebra for Commissioner's Cup title 

(Update 10:29pm) The Alaska Aces are once again the kings of the PBA. The Aces used a crippling run late in the fourth quarter to break the game wide open and sweep their best-of-five Commissioner's Cup Finals series against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 104-80, Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

[Review the play-by-play of this game here]

Alaska won game one by a score of 87-70, and triumphed in game two by a margin of 104-90, en route to their 14th championship in the PBA.

Jvee Casio scored on two straight floaters and added a rare four-point play to give Alaska a commanding 92-79 lead halfway through the fourth quarter. Sonny Thoss and Calvin Abueva joined the scoring frenzy for the Aces while Ginebra struggled to find any kind of offense.

Mark Caguioa tried to shoot the Barangay back into the ball game but his three-point attempts failed to find the bottom of the net.

In the end, a 30-6 run to end the game did it for Alaska, who earned their first title since the 2010 PBA Fiesta Cup Conference.

"Wala pa ring tatalo sa Gatas Republik! Wala pa ring tatalo sa Alaska!" exclaimed a victorious Fred Uytengsu, owner of the Alaska Aces.

Sonny Thos was named the Finals MVP after producing 13 points and 14 rebounds in the title-clincher. "The Boss" also added two assists, two steals, and a block. But more than his contributions in this game, Thoss was a factor throughout the conference for the Aces as he defended the opposing imports most of the time. This gave their own foreign reinforcement Rob Dozier the chance to defend locals and gave him the opportunity to just lurk around and grab rebounds.

Dozier, who was named the Best Import of the Conference prior to the game, scattered 27 points on a brilliant game overall, while also adding 20 monster rebounds, seven assists, and six blocks.

However, it was Casio who swung the tide for the Aces. His seven straight points in the fourth quarter run served as the catalyst for the Aces. The former Gilas national team standout totaled 18 points, but his tremendous playmaking was the big difference in the series.

A free throw from Jvee Casio tied the ball game with 7:16 left in the first quarter after Best Player of the Conference LA Tenorio was called for a technical foul. Tenorio was fouled by Calvin Abueva while he was bringing down the ball but Tenorio dropped the ball on the chest of the downed Abueva.

The two finished had at the top of the Best Player of the Conference rankings and looked to be on good terms as the runner-up Abueva applauded Tenorio right after the winner was announced. However, the two went at it from the moment Abueva stepped onto the floor.

Caguioa broke a 9-9 deadlock with a jumper at the 6:27 mark of the first quarter but a split at the line got the Aces to within a point of the Barangay at 11-10. Caguioa scored on another jumper to the delight of the Ginebra crowd but Rob Dozier got a put-back on the very next possession.

Trailing by two points, Dozier and RJ Jazul conspired for a 8-2 run for Alaska, resulting in a 20-16 lead just before the two-minute warning. Free throws from Macklin and Tenorio knotted the game at 20-all, but Casio and Dozier scored the final three points of the first for a 23-10 Alaska lead.

Chris Ellis and Josh Urbiztondo scored six quick points for Ginebra to start the second quarter. Mac Baracael then joined the party at the 9:44 mark with a three for a 29-25 count in Ginebra's favor.
 
Ellis continued to score as he converted on a lay-up for a 35-31 count in their favor.

Dondon Hontiveros and Tenorio exchanged triples for a 45-38 count with Ginebra still ahead, but Casio pulled two points back with a fast break lay-up.

Abueva trimmed the lead further with a two-handed slam dunk but a Caguioa free throw ended the half with Ginebra holding a 48-44 lead, their first lead at the break in the series.



Coming out of the intermission, Alaska wasted no time in overhauling Ginebra's lead. An and-one play from Dozier knotted the game at 50-all, but the tie was quickly broken by an Ellis floater. Jayjay Helterbrand then stretched the Ginebra advantage to five with a corner pocket three.

With Alaska threatening to pull closer, Helterbrand and Tenorio sank back-to-back threes to give the Kings a 63-56 lead at the halfway point of the third quarter.

After consecutive and-one plays from Dozier hauled Alaska closer, Yousef Taha dished a pretty pass to Macklin for a slam with only three minutes left in the third for a 70-65 lead. Abueva scored on two free throws on the next play but Caguioa swished a floater to bring the lead back up to five.

Alaska then got back-to-back scores, the second being a Dozier dunk on the break. This run trimmed the Ginebra lead down to a single point at 72-71. Alaska head coach Luigi Trillo was called for a technical foul after arguing a no-call on a Cyrus Baguio play, but Helterbrand missed the free throw.

After surviving their first four elimination games, luck finally ran out for Ginebra. They were ahead for most of the game but they finally succumbed to Alaska's unending attacks. After holding the Aces down to just 44 points at the half, Ginebra's defense allowed 60 points in the second half. With their back against the wall, the Kings only scored eight points in the final quarter.

A three-point play from Sonny Thoss knotted the game at 74-all early in the fourth quarter. A shot clock buzzer-beating floater from Dozier gave Alaska the lead with 9:20 left in the game.

The Aces then pounded the ball inside with Abueva and Thoss combining to give the Aces an 84-76 lead with only 6:31 left in the game. After a split at the line from Kerby Raymundo, Casio responded with a floater to give the Aces an 86-79 lead.

Casio added another floater, this time from the baseline, for a nine-point Alaska lead with only 5:13 left in the game.

The Alaska point guard then added a four-point play for a 92-79 lead before Thoss broke the game wide open with a baseline jumper. The Aces held a 15-point buffer with 3:47 left in the game. Abueva then added insult to the wound as he scored on a lay-up with a Caguioa foul. He proceeded to kiss his kid in celebration but he missed the bonus free throw.

LA Tenorio led the Ginebra in scoring with 18 points, but he struggled on the floor, converting only six of his 17 shots. Ginebra import Vernin Macklin also had trouble making baskets as he only contributed 12 points on 2-of-8 shooting.

The Barangay though stayed in the game until the Alaska run thanks largely to the efforts of rookie Chris Ellis, who notched 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

The Aces dominated the game with their rebounding. With Dozier anchoring the Aces' clean-up crew, Alaska outrebounded Ginebra 64-50. The Aces also dominated the blocks department with eight compared to only one for their foes.

It is Alaska's first title since the departure of iconic head coach Tim Cone prior to the start of 2011-12 Philippine Cup. In his place, former assistant Luigi Trillo piloted the Aces and got his first PBA title in the process.  - RAF/AMD, GMA News