By REYNALD MAGALLON
An Easter Sunday treat is in the offing for PBA fans as San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra figure in a titanic collision to mark the resumption of the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on April 5.
Coming off a four-day breather due to the Holy Week, two Beermen and the Kings should be at their best in their duel scheduled at 7:30 p.m.
A clash between two of the early leaders NLEX and Phoenix is setting the table in the opening game at 5:15 p.m.
SMB and Ginebra are both coming off victories and they are looking to string together their first win streak of the mid-season conference.
For the Beermen, they are looking to ride on the broad shoulders of their towering frontlines in June Mar Fajardo and import Justin Patton.
Patton, a former NBA player, had a solid debut for the Beermen with 24 points and 17 rebounds and now he will be tested against Kings import Justin Brownlee, who is widely regarded as a barometer to PBA imports.
But having Brownlee as Ginebra import is putting much pressure on the big men of the Kings who will be tasked to put a body not only on Patton but also on Fajardo.
Despite the presence of imports of his size, Fajardo has been submitting import-like numbers for SMB and he’s expected to continue doing that even against Japeth Aguilar, Troy Rosario and Isaac Go.
Aside from Brownlee and the big men, tasked to lead the charge for the Tim Cone-mentored squad are Scottie Thompson and RJ Abarrientos, who has been leading team locals in scoring.
Meanwhile in the first game, NLEX and Phoenix are eyeing the solo second in the standings.
In the middle of a four-team deadlock with similar 3-1 records, the Road Warriors and the Fuel Masters battle for a second straight victory. Cady Lalanne along with local stars Robert Bolick and Schonny Winston will be leading the way for NLEX while Phoenix will have Ricci Rivero, Ken Tuffin and import James Dickey III to headline the team.
