Williams, Taulava not far behind

Looming in the horizon is a wild and wooly race for the Best Player of the Conference honors in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup.

Five players, led by Talk ‘N Text’s Macmac Cardona and Sta. Lucia’s Kelly Williams, are closely bunched together on top of the statistical derby after the double-round elimination phase of the all-Filipino tourney.

Cardona, Williams, Coca-Cola’s Asi Taulava, Alaska’s Willie Miller and Talk ‘N Text’s Ranidel de Ocampo are the top five, running neck and neck entering the playoff phase.

Barangay Ginebra’s Jayjay Helterbrand, San Miguel Beer’s Jay Washington, Purefoods’ Kerby Raymundo, Rain or Shines’s JayR Reyes and Purefoods’ James Yap composed the next five, not far behind the front-runners.

Cardona, the 2007 Fiesta Conference BPC who has emerged as Talk ‘N Text’s main man in his fourth season with team, is the scoring leader with 23.8 points a game and leads the stats race, averaging 33.4 SPs (statistical points) per outing.

The prolific six-foot slasher, who wasn’t even among the Top 10 scorers in last season’s Philippine Cup, amassed a league-leading total of 602 SPs while also putting up 4.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals a game.

Three former MVP winners in Williams, Taulava and Miller are breathing down Cardona’s neck with Williams averaging 33.2 SPs, Taulava 32.5 and Miller 32.0.

De Ocampo, the former Air21 ace power forward who has just moved over to Talk ‘N Text, rounds out the Magic Five with an average of 31.4 SPs.

The top five players after the semifinal round will be the official candidates for the award in a balloting among the four-man special committee, the media and the players. The winner will be named before Game Four of the best-of-seven finals.

Helterbrand, Washington and Reyes can still improve on their standings as their teams remain in the running in the playoff phase.

Taulava, Raymundo and Yap are three players in the top 10 whose teams have fallen by the wayside in the tourney.

Helterbrand averages 30.5 SPs followed by Washington with 30.3, Raymundo 29.8, Reyes 28.2 and James Yap 28.1.

In the next 10 are Purefoods’ Rico Villanueva (28.0), Air21’s Arwind Santos (27.9), Rain or Shine rookie Gabe Norwood (27.4), Coca-Cola’s Nic Belasco (27.3), Alaska’s Joe Devance (26.5), Coca-Cola’s Alex Cabagnot (26.3), Talk ‘N Text’s Harvey Carey (26.0), Talk ‘N Text’s Jimmy Alapag (24.8) and Alaska’s Sonny Thoss (24.6).

Running right behind Norwood among the rookies are his Rain or Shine backcourt tandem Sol Mercado (24.2), Talk ‘N Text’s Jarred Dillinger (23.7) and San Miguel’s Bonbon Custodio (23.6).

Next behind Cardona in the scoring ladder is James Yap with an average of 20.06 a game followed by Helterbrand (18.7), Raymundo (18.6), Gary David (18.4), Miller (17.2), Taulava (16.4), Santos (15.4), PJ Simon (15.0) and Williams (14.6).

Taulava (13.0) is the rebounding leader, Cabagnot (5.6) paces everyone in assists, Ryan Reyes (2.4) leads in steals while JR Quinahan (1.7) and Thoss (1.7) are tied in the lead in shot blocks. (NC)


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