Magnolia Hotshots can Contend Provided that they Remain Healthy

(Photo by the PBA Media Bureau)

Injury problems to a specific player can be amended as long as the rest of the team steps up for the injured player. But injury problems to multiple players? That’s a different story. No matter how good your coach and/or your team is, if your is not physically fit to play on the court, you will definitely struggle even against bad teams. 

And over the past conferences, that has been the problem with the Magnolia Hotshots. In fact, they were consistent on being on the semifinals only to be hit by injury to star players like Paul Lee and Marc Pingris. Paul Lee, for one, missed the latter parts of their Governors’ Cup semifinal series against the Meralco Bolts who swept the Hotshots in 3 games.

After dropping their Christmas Day game against the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, the Magnolia Hotshots have been on the surge, winning 3 straight games, the last one being a 97-91 come-from-behind-win over the Phoenix Fuel Masters. That game saw the Hotshots erase a 5-point deficit in the final 3 minutes of the 4th quarter through the combined efforts of Marc Pingris, Ian Sangalang, Paul Lee and Rafi Reavis.

More Healthy Players = Higher Chances of Winning

While there’s no denying the fact that the Magnolia Hotshots have one of the oldest cores in the PBA, they are still among the few teams this conference who have both the talent and the experience to take down the defending Philippine Cup champions, the San Miguel Beermen. They just need to do one thing to remain competitive and hopefully end their semifinal slumps: stay away from injuries especially during the latter part of the conference.  

Why?

With the PBA now allowing a higher amount of physicality during games, we can expect more bodies banging against each other plus a few bodies flying onto the court. While it’s good and fun for the fans to see the league allowing more bangings between players, these are exactly the things that the Hotshots should be careful about because one bad fall could hurt not just a player but the conference of the team. 

Conclusion

With the Hotshots scheduled to face the Talk N Text KaTropa this coming Saturday, Chito Victolero can only hope and pray that none of his players will get not just during their next game but for the rest of the PBA’s 43rd season because no coach enjoys seeing his players not being able to play due to injury. 

Balls-Eye: 5 Best Power Forwards in the PBA

The guys with the perfect balance will always be the powerforwards. In all aspects they come in midway of Centers and Guards. But what makes some of them standout?

We’ll find out as we run down the 5 best power forwards we have in the Filipino Basketball.

1. Ranidel De Ocampo

A.K.A RDO, he is one of the finest forwards any team would want to have. Ranidel’s got the size to match even with centers in rebounding and post up plays. What makes him special? With his size, he could impeccably deliver from beyond the arc. A dangerous weapon for guys with the size advantage. R.D.O can take all sorts of shots depending on his defender.

2. Marc Pingris

Of course the Pinoy Sakuragi would never go out of sight when talking about some of the best power forwards. Despite having a relatively small size, he is a huge defensive obstacle. It is proven. Even the mighty Japeth Aguilar gets blocked and is having a hard time during post up matches.

3. Calvin Abueva

The beast would be considered the player with an extra impact on the floor. He’s got the intensity. He even gained prominence with the ‘Calvin Crush’ wherein he goes full speed against any defender and bangs it with his full body strength, not caring whoit is in front whether a center or a guard. He just hustles on both ends.

Another good thing about Calvin is his presence which irritates opponents and somehow gets them out of focus.

4. Japeth Aguilar

A 6 foot 9 inch gut with incredible jumping power? It is non other than Japeth Aguilar. Japeth’s got the length and the strength to go all out.

Another good thing in Japeth is that his size does not hinder his speed. He frequently finishes fast break attacks in a spectacular alley oop jams. An excellent finisher and hype provider for the team and for audiences of course.

5. Rafi Reavis

Reavis could match Aguilar’s length but he is an even better player when talking about the battle under the rim. Aguilar could shoot from the perimeter but Reavis is more efficient when cleaning up missed shots and scoring in the shaded area. Reavis is a perfect match against this era’s twin towers.

Highlights of the number one forward on our list ( Ranidel De Ocampo)