Spent last night in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat. We were actually able to catch the Alaska-San Miguel game over dinner, and to my surprise, the veteran cameraman we were traveling with used to shoot and direct PBA games. We basically watched the game from his technical perspective, which was awesome. He said that covering the PBA live was the hardest gig for any cameraman because of the pace of the action; if you could do camera work for the PBA, you can do it anywhere else.

Btw, how about that game? Pretty awesome, wasn't it? And it was exciting even if the referees actually called fouls.

On to part 2 of my first impressions. If you missed it, check out part 1.

Meralco Bolts – As a Purefoods fan, it’s a little disconcerting to see Meralco play, because while he’s only been coach for a few months, our old friend Ryan Gregorio has already put his stamp on the team. If you’ve been watching the PBA for the past few years, and then you saw Meralco play, you would know who was coaching them even if no one told you that it was ‘The Genius’.

So yeah, it’s a Ryan Gregorio team. You decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

Powerade Tigers – This team just drives me crazy – crazy enough that I’ve spent the past few weeks working on a long, meticulously-researched post all about the Powerade Tigers and why they matter to the PBA.

I can’t get over the fact that their point guard rotation is composed of Chico Lanete, Paolo Mendoza, and Jai Reyes. Just last year, that spot was occupied by Alex Cabagnot, Chris Ross, and Marvin Cruz. Talk about a downgrade; that’d be like if Dondon Hontiveros dumped Valerie Concepcion and started dating Pokwang.

Rain or Shine Elastopainters – They’ve been getting a lot of great contribution from guys like Doug Kramer and Jeff Chan, but the team has been up-and-down so far. I’m beginning to wonder if we’re overrating them; after all, their record really wasn’t all that good last year, but we remember that they had a good season because they took Purefoods/Derby Ace to the limit of their quarterfinals series twice. But Derby Ace was such a good matchup for Sol Mercado, who was either too quick or too big against the Llamados’ guards; who knows how well they would have fared had they gone up against Talk N Text or Alaska?

Also, how about Jeff Chan being a total gamer. Weren’t he and RJ Rizada the exact same guy back in college and in the amateurs? And yet, Chan is a legit PBA starter, and Rizada is a bit player.

Here’s one difference between them: Chan’s first PBA coach was Yeng Guiao, Rizada’s first PBA coach was Binky Favis. Think that had anything to do with that?

San Miguel Beermen – We’ve all seen this movie before: San Miguel roars to a hot start during the eliminations and look like world-beaters while announcers crow about their all-star lineup. Once the playoff starts, they run into a tougher team who knocks the shit out of them, and they completely fold.

Maybe there’s a different ending this time, with new coach Ato Agustin, who already led the Beermen to a nice come-from-behind victory over Ginebra and a tight win over Alaska. But does the coach really matter that much if the players are all the same? Guess we’ll see.

Talk N Text Tropang Texters – They’re not even missing Ranidel de Ocampo right now, with the way Harvey Carey is playing. Honestly, Talk N Text and Alaska right now look like they’re a class above the competition. Neither do they seem affected by Mac Cardona’s departure, because they just run and execute their offense and pound their opponents into submission.

I wonder though how they’ll fare come playoff time, when they’ve been scouted well by their opponent who knows all their plays. Will they still be able to execute? How will they manufacture points? Jimmy Alapag is a great player, but is he a go-to guy for a championship team?

Or maybe it doesn’t matter at all. After all, Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes have already won a Philippine Cup championship for a team that has a difficult time scoring in the half court.