Tight battle seen for PBA best player award

The competition for the PBA Philippine Cup Best Player of the Conference award is also fast shaping up to be a duel between top teams Talk `N Text and San Miguel Beer. Three of the five top contenders for the coveted plum and seven of those who made it to the Top 10 list are either Beermen or Tropang Texters, according to the latest tally provided by the PBA statisticians pool headed by Fidel Mangonon. Beerman Arwind Santos currently paces the heated race, but Alaska’s Joe Devance, Tropang Texter Harvey Carey and teammate Jay Washington are breathing down his neck. Talk `N Text and San Miguel finished the eliminations as the top two teams of the season-ending meet to earn a twice-to-beat edge in the playoffs. Both the Tropang Texters and the Beermen wasted no time in easily disposing of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the Air21 Express, respectively, to advance to the semifinals. The elongated 6-foot-4 Santos earned 34.7 average statistics (AveS) by the end of the quarterfinals to assume the No.1 spot. A consistent contender but never a winner, Santos averaged a team-best 16.6 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. Running a close second is the 6-foot-7, do-it-all Devance with 34.5 AveS, built around 19.2 points (tops in the PBA), 8.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 block shots. But DeVance’s chance of bagging the plum may be severely affected since Alaska was booted out by Barangay Ginebra in their best-of-three series playoffs. Carey, the unassuming, blue-collar forward of Talk `N Text, is running third, but is expected to move up in the race as the Tropang Texters made it to the semifinals after ending up as the No. 1 seeded team at the end of the eliminations. With a 34.4 AveS, the 6-foot-3 Tropang Texter is the only player averaging in double figures in both points (12.5) and rebounds (12.7), while also submitting a respectable 2.5 assists per game. Also making a case for himself is Washington, who is vying for a second straight Best Player of the Conference award after running away with the title in the last Fiesta Cup. Submitting numbers of 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and a league-best 1.6 blocked shots, Washington totaled 34.1 AveS to land at No. 4. Both San Miguel and Talk `N Text are in the semis of the season-opening meet. Veteran Rudy Hatfield rounded out the top five list. The Ginebra forward has 30.6 AveS by norming 9.6 points, a team-high 12.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists through the playoffs. Making up the next best five are the Talk `N Text duo of Ali Peek (30.2) and Jimmy Alapag (30.0), Meralco gunner MacMac Cardona (29.7), another Tropang Texter in Kelly Williams (29.5), and San Miguel’s Dondon Hontiveros, who shares the No. 10 spot with Air21’s Rabeh Al-Hussaini (29.3). Al-Hussaini, the No. 2 pick in this year’s Draft, is the only rookie to barge into the Top 10. - KY, RCJ, GMANews.TV