Ronald Tubid and Terrafirma enjoyed a victorious start to the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup and are looking forward to sustaining as much when they lock horns with NLEX later at the Ynares Center II in Montalban.
But adding more to the former player turned mentor’s excitement is competing against a contemporary in Jimmy Alapag, this time in a coaching duel.
“Excited din na makita ko si Coach Jimmy,” he said after the Dyip’s 113-100 victory over Titan Ultra last Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, marking already the second time this season that they won a conference opener.
Both men actually belonged in the same draft class—the 2003 batch, to be exact, in which the ‘Mighty Mouse’ was selected at 10th overall by Talk N Text before the former UE Red Warrior got chosen at no. 16 by Shell.
Of course, they figured into countless on-court battles, although what Tubid cherished the most was the time they spent together in San Miguel.
The two had a chance to work with one another back in the 2019 season, when Alapag was appointed as a deputy for the Beermen after steering San Miguel Alab Pilipinas to the ASEAN Basketball League crown the previous year.
The Iloilo City-native was still actively playing at the time. And together, they’d win the Philippine Cup and Commissioner’s Cup titles in that same year.
“Nakasama ko pa si Coach Jimmy sa San Miguel eh,” recalled Tubid, who won seven of his nine league championships with San Miguel.
Later at 5:15 p.m., they’d be figuring in a chess match of sorts, both of them keen on steering their sides to a 2-0 slate to take the solo lead in Group A.
In case you missed it, the Road Warriors are also coming off a win: a dominant 114-75 rout of the guest team Macau last Friday, which gave Alapag not just a winning PBA head coaching debut but also a triumphant homecoming.
“To take everything that I’ve learned from my experience here, kasama sa Gilas, and now my experience back in the States, to pour that into this group, and this generation of Philippine basketball, that’s the exciting part,” he said.
As far as the game itself is concerned, Tubid sees two teams playing at a similar pace, locking horns, and it may all boil down to who adjusts better.
“Magandang laban kasi ‘yung pace ng laro halos same; we’ll see kung sino ang unang makapag-adjust sa kung anong itatapon ng magkabilang team,” he said.
As of 2 p.m., Casino Plus sportsbook has NLEX as an overwhelming -11.0 favorite. The over/under is pegged at 207.5.
Bets can be placed here: https://www.casinoplus.com.ph/home/inGame?name=basketball&title=SportBet.
Set to play in the 7:30 p.m. nightcap are the Giant Risers and the debuting Converge, led by Rookie of the Year frontrunner Juan Gomez de Liano.
The FiberXers are hoping to write a much better campaign this time around after a disappointing run in the recent Commissioner’s Cup, where they missed the quarterfinals with a 5-7 card as injuries hugely affected the squad.
Titan Ultra, on the other hand, is hoping to field a complete lineup this time after being compelled to play with an all-Filipino unit versus the Dyip—that, after reportedly failing to secure the necessary permit for import James Milton.
Given their foes’ situation, that could be an opportunity that the FiberXers could pounce on, especially super scorer Jalen Hudson, who’s returning for another tour of duty after previously suiting up for the Tropang 5G.
The Giant Risers are a +15.5 underdog to the FiberXers, according to Casino Plus sportsbook. The over/under is set at 194.5.
