An exhilarating first week in the elimination round of the 2024 PBA Governors' Cup has set the tone for this conference. TNT Tropang Giga looked as solid as ever with their do-it-all reinforcement, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, back in the fold. The San Miguel Beermen continue to be a force to be reckoned with, while the young Rain or Shine Elasto Painters are making waves with their impressive performances.
On the other hand, teams that were expected to struggle have already fallen behind as the Blackwater Bossing contend with a lack of production from their import and the Terrafirma Dyip searching for an identity.
Let's see how teams fared after their first few games of the conference:
1. TNT Tropang Giga (2-0); Group A rank: 1st
A dominant 93-73 win over the Meralco Bolts gave TNT the sole spot Group A -- which was remarkable considering the circumstances and limitations they were facing.
Notable names such as RR Pogoy, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, and Henry Galinato remained sidelined in their first two games as the team struggled to shoot. Despite good scoring outputs, both Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Calvin Oftana averaged just 36.5% and 39.3% from the field respectively. A bright spot for the squad has been newcomer Rey Nambatac, who averaged 14.5 points on 53/50/81 splits. That should tell you something about TNT's balanced contributions.
2. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (2-0); Group B rank: tied for 1st
Rain or Shine has already shown they can win in different types of games. In their debut match versus the Blackwater Bossing, they were able to get out in transition and get a 110-97 victory. It was a total contrast when the Elasto Painters won in a 73-64 slugfest against the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel last Saturday.
What's intriguing for Rain or Shine is the talent their roster has across the board, where head coach Yeng Guiao can just plug and play pieces without sacrificing quality throughout the game. Rookies Caelan Tiongson and Felix Lemmeti have balled out and Aaron Fuller has filled his role perfectly as the man in the middle -- totaling 42 rebounds in their first two assignments.
3. San Miguel Beermen (2-0); Group B rank: tied for 1st
It feels like June Mar Fajardo's greatness in the PBA stage will just keep on going. After bagging his eighth MVP award, he posted a monster double-double of 37 points and 24 rebounds to steer the San Miguel Beermen to a 111-107 win over the Phoenix Fuel Masters. Jordan Adams then picked up the offensive cudgels against Blackwater with a 50-piece on 58.6% shooting from the field.
This talent that San Miguel possesses will be considered supreme over most teams, so it's more about how much they will take advantage of Fajardo's presence at the post to get the likes of CJ Perez, Terrence Romeo, Jericho Cruz, and Don Trollano open looks.
4. NLEX Road Warriors (2-0); Group B rank: tied for 1st
The Road Warriors got the job done for the first week of the conference, which was to gain confidence before going up against the big boys of Group B.
NLEX have shown glimpses of elite basketball on the offensive end, with the ball moving around to find the most optimal shot in a possession. Import Myke Henry has proven himself as a reinforcement for keeps, exhibited by his great numbers of 34 points, 9.5 rebounds, and four assists on 58/64/69 splits. Robert Bolick has also produced all-around statlines with averages of 17.5 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists.
The challenge now is for their teammates to knock down wide-open looks when both Henry and Bolick get doubled.
5. Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots (1-1); Group A rank: tied for 2nd
After losing in the conference opener to Meralco, Magnolia had a stellar 105-93 bounce-back win over Converge that showed the potential of their squad with import Glenn Robinson III.
It's clear that the Hotshots can be stout defensively, as FiberXers' import Scotty Hopson's scoring went from 46 points to 26 points. They also held guard Alec Stockton to just three points after he scored 21 previously. Robinson III also looked more comfortable within Magnolia's system, with more plays designed for him off the ball rather than isolations, as seen in their first game. Another key aspect to watch is head coach Chito Victolero's rotation, particularly his focus on generating points from the perimeter, including the four-point shot, with Paul Lee and Jerrick Ahanmisi as the starting backcourt.
6. Converge FiberXers (1-1); Group A rank: tied for 2nd
Converge's blowout win over Terrafirma and their stand against Magnolia sent a clear message to the other 11 teams: They are not going to be pushovers in this Governors' Cup.
Even with Hopson being an older import, he has shown no signs of decline in his first two games, averaging 36 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. He's also been the most successful reinforcement from the four-point range, hitting 75% of his shots on just four attempts. Expect Converge's young studs to develop and grow as the conference goes on led by Alec Stockton, Justine Arana, and Schonny Winston.
7. Meralco Bolts (1-1); Group A rank: tied for 2nd
Losing Chris Newsome to an injury in their game against the TNT Tropang Giga proved to be a big blow and a detriment to Meralco's offense, which produced a lowly 73 points.
With five guys scoring double figures in Meralco's victory over Magnolia, on Chris Banchero reached that mark (18 points) after Newsome got injured. While defense remains a strong suit for Meralco, they will need more offensive contributions from other players, particularly import Allen Durham, who has struggled to score consistently thus far.
8. NorthPort Batang Pier (1-1); Group A rank: tied for 2nd
NorthPort made an uncanny decision when it decided to replace Taylor Johns who had scored 36 points and 16 rebounds in their first game. But results are what truly matter and the returning Venky Jois helped the Batang Pier secure a needed win against Terrafirma.
William Navarro had a standout performance in NorthPort's second game, scoring 31 points on an impressive 65% shooting from the field. Navarro's strong effort has allowed Arvin Tolentino to avoid carrying the offensive load as much, which has contributed to an improved shooting efficiency of 41.9% and an average of 16.5 points per game. Moving forward, the concern that they have to solve is who will be their lead point guard to solidify their rotation.
9. Phoenix Fuel Masters (0-2); Group B rank: tied for 4th
Two narrow losses, with a combined deficit of just nine points, have put Phoenix at a disadvantage. This makes their situation challenging in the fast-paced elimination round.
In their match against the San Miguel Beermen, the Fuel Masters kept the game close despite being without import Jayveous McKinnis, thanks to Jason Perkins and a strong fourth quarter from Ricci Rivero. In another game, Phoenix erased a 23-point deficit against NLEX with help from RR Garcia and Javee Mocon, but couldn't close it out, ultimately falling 100-95. They can't afford to settle for moral victories; they need real wins to secure a playoff spot.
10. Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (0-1); Group B rank: tied for 4th
The single game that Ginebra has played wasn't up to par for the Ginebra basketball we have grown accustomed to seeing. Just 64 points on 27.7% from the field was definitely not pleasing to the eyes for the crowd favorites.
To be fair, even resident import Justin Brownlee had a hard time puncturing the hoop that completely messed up Ginebra's flow on offense. For now, Ginebra will hope that Scottie Thompson (1-10 FG), Isaac Go (1-14 FG), RJ Abarrientos (1-15 FG), and Maverick Ahanmisi (2-7 FG) shoot better in their coming games.
11. Blackwater Bossing (0-3); Group B rank: tied for 4th
Let's be real: The Ricky Ledo experience wasn't fun. He averaged nine points on a horrible 16/25/75 splits in two games played. It is no wonder tha Blackwater has decided to relieve Ledo and replace him with Cameron Clark.
However, if you watched Blackwater's game intently, there were some silver lining performances from their locals. James Kwekuteye provided scoring off the bench with 17 points and five triples in their loss to Rain or Shine. Sedrick Barefield showed some potential as the team's main guard, and Christian David made use of playing time well. Going toe-to-toe with San Miguel for a half with an all-Filipino lineup should boost Blackwater's confidence and lead to an improvement in their standings.
12. Terrafirma Dyip (0-2); Group A rank: 6th
While Terrafirma played disjointedly on both ends, they were particularly bad on defense. They allowed Converge to score 127 points on an efficient 55.8% shooting from the field, leading to a 32-point loss. Similarly, their struggles continued as NorthPort dominated in the paint, resulting in a 112-93 defeat.
Stanley Pringle has displayed some resurgence in the scoring department (18 points per game), but also can be attributed to more opportunities with Terrafirma and Christian Standhardinger is still finding his rhythm. Standhardinger averaged 13.5 points in two games. Meanwhile, star guard Juami Tiongson needs to get into his groove quickly if they want to achieve anything in this conference, as he shot has shot a paltry 25% from the field.