It’s a David vs. Goliath affair at the Big Dome, as the winless Terrafirma Dyip take on the league-leading San Miguel Beermen in Game 1 of this Thursday’s doubleheader. Will the Dyip pull off a stunning upset? Or, will the Beermen rack up another win?

Catch this game live on Thursday,  July 4 at 5:15 pm, Manila time.

Terrafirma Dyip (0-8)

Projected Starting Five:

PG: JP Calvo
SG: Philip Cahilig
SF: Joshua Munzon
PF: Eric Camson
C: Joseph Gabayni

There’s not a lot to like about the Dyip. They are winless through eight games in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup and have been repeatedly blown out of the water by opposing teams. Only two of their defeats are single-digit losses. The rest had the Dyip looking like they don’t at all belong in the best league in the country. In its last game, Terrafirma got destroyed by the Magnolia Chicken Timplados, 104-83. If only the Dyip have someone like CJ Perez…

Nevertheless, there are some pieces on the team that can be a threat to San Miguel. Joshua Munzon only had 3 points in the Magnolia game, but he is second among Dyip players this conference with 13.3 points per contest. Juami Tiongson is averaging 14.8 points, while bigs Aldrech Ramos and Joseph Gabayni are putting up 11.5 points per game each. Tiongson and Munzon, however, are struggling with efficiency on offense as both are shooting below 36% from the field, so perhaps letting guys who shoot much better like JP Calvo, Ramos, and Gabayni get more shots. Calvo scored 20 points against Magnolia, while Ramos and Gabayni are top two on the team in field goal percentage.

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San Miguel Beermen (8-1)

Projected Starting Five:

  • PG: Simon Enciso
  • SG: CJ Perez
  • SF: Marcio Lassiter
  • PF: Rodney Brondial
  • C: June Mar Fajardo

The Beermen nearly became the latest victim of the surging Blackwater Bossing, as they came away with a 110-107 overtime win Sunday night. With that victory, the Beermen are now 5-0 straight up in their last five games with only a loss thus far in the conference. The Beermen are having success even with some key players missing like Chris Ross and Vic Manuel, mainly because they are THAT deep. Jericho Cruz. Mo Tautuaa, Marcio Lassiter, Rodney Brondial, and Robbie Herndon are getting their moments in support of the top guys in CJ Perez and Junemar Fajardo.  

Against Blackwater, Fajardo and Cruz led the way for the Beermen with 25 points apiece, while Perez got 23. Making it harder for opponents to contain Fajardo this conference is his evolution into a much better passer. He is averaging a career-high 2.89 assists this conference, while still averaging 17.4 points and 14.1 rebounds. Fajardo should be looking at Terrafirma’s frontcourt and defense like chicken barbecues. For one, Terrafirma is last in the league with a 114.8 defensive rating and worst overall too in offensive rating (92.3).

PREDICTION:

Spread: The Beermen (-16) cover.

Over/Under: The Over (196.5) hits.

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