The 2021 PBA Philippine Cup is now in its stretch run, coming off the first week of its restart in a "semi-bubble" in Bacolor, Pampanga. At the midway mark of the conference, it's safe to say that there are a handful of things that have jumped out. Here are the most pleasant surprises of them all:
1. Terrafirma Dyip. Just the entire Terrafirma Dyip
Is there any story more shocking in its absolute "from out of nowhere-ness" than what the Dyip are doing this season?
A year ago, the Dyip ended another lost Philippine Cup inside the Clark "bubble" with a 1-10 record. That happened even with erstwhile franchise player CJ Perez putting up double-double performances on the regular, as well as promising moments from Roosevelt Adams, their other top pick. Afterwards, in what has come to be known as a team trademark, Terrafirma opted for depth over elite talent, trading away do-it-all Perez to San Miguel. They did get a great prospect in return in no. 1 overall pick Joshua Munzon, touted as the one of the best scorers in the most recent draft, but still, the loss of their lead guard left many leaving Terrafirma for dead.
If so, then what we're witnessing now is an incredible resurrection.
It started out pretty much as we all expected - the Dyip dropped their first four games in disappointing fashion. Then the season was put on pause and the league relocated to Bacolor, and the script got flipped.
Terrafirma's first assignments in the "bubble" were back-to-back matchups opposite championship contenders San Miguel and Ginebra. And lo and behold, behind the best stretch of Juami Tiongson's pro career, they swept both games.
Up next was a potential trap game against the Blackwater Bossing. While Tiongson struggled as the defense keyed in on him, there were enough inspired performances from role players like Andreas Cahilig and Reden Celda for the Dyip to still emerge victorious.
Now, Terrafirma Dyip, a longtime league laughingstock, stand at seventh with a 3-4 record. It's not anywhere near the top of the standings, not by a longshot, but when we take into account where they were before the season started and how they did all this minus the injured Munzon, then everything they're doing right now is, put simply, a miracle.
2. Ginebra and its struggle to incorporate Christian Standhardinger
Let's be real here for a second: of all the surprises in this list, this one is probably going to age the worst. After all, Barangay Ginebra is too great a team, and Tim Cone is too smart a coach to let this be an issue for long.
But we have to call it right now - Standhardinger hasn't had the impact many expected him to have.
On paper, the numbers look good for the Filipino-German. He's still averaging a double-double of 12.4 points and 12.0 rebounds.
However, there are moments in games when everything just feels so clogged in the paint, particularly as Standhardinger and Japeth Aguilar, both savvy and effective when closest to the basket, get in the way of driving lanes for Scottie Thompson and Stanley Pringle. The Gin Kings' new man in the middle has yet to also find his rhythm as facilitator - something he did so well during his Best Player of the Conference run for NorthPort.
All of this is a matter of adjustment. With the Batang Pier, Standhardinger had the ball in his hands for majority of possessions, and his usage skyrocketed as a result. But with Ginebra, the ball is with Tenorio, Pringle, or Thompson most of the time.
It's definitely not time to panic for the defending champions, even in the face of their sub-.500 record. They've been through slow starts before and still found ways to pick it up when the playoffs rolled along. Most likely, the coaching staff is experimenting with how best to use Standhardinger in this brilliant lineup. It's only a matter of time before they figure it out.
3. TNT's elite defense
Let's take a look at TNT's defensive numbers so far this conference, per Dribble Media:
Opponents' points per game: 76.0
Opponents' field goal %: 35.8
Opponents' 3-point %: 22.4
Opponents' eFG %: 39.8
Those are staggering numbers. Putting it all together, the Tropang Giga have had the best defense, with Rain or Shine trailing closely behind. What puts them over the top, and why they have the best record in the league thus far, is a much better offense compared to the Elasto Painters.
What changed for TNT this season? You have to start at the top, where comebacking coach Chot Reyes has installed much of the schemes that made the Tropang Giga such a devastatingly efficient squad in their dominant mid-2010s run. Several veterans from those teams are still in the fold like Jayson Castro, Ryan Reyes, and Kelly Williams, and they've all been essential in helping lessen the adjustment for new stars on the team.
In particular, we have to show some more love to "Machine Gun Kelly," the unretired big who answered the call when Reyes returned to the sidelines. Having a veteran in Williams who provides muscle in the interior to help support JP Erram has been essential to TNT's fortunes, leading to their undefeated mark as of midway through the conference.
Is this sustainable for the remainder of the season? Probably not. We've seen drop-offs from the Tropang Giga, which have been the reason why their championship drought has been this long. But this version of TNT is deep and determined to get stops when their offense fails them. We've seen before that championship teams are those that are elite on both offense and defense. As of right now, there's no question that Reyes and his wards fit the bill.