The Bay Area Dragons and the Barangay Ginebra will battle it out for all the marbles, with Game 7 of the 2022-23 PBA Commissioner’s about to go down this coming Sunday at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan. Will the Dragons breathe fire and leave the country with the title? Or, will the Barangay get the job done?
Catch this game live on Sunday, January 15 at 5:45 pm, Manila time.
Bay Area Dragons (3-3)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Glen Yang
- SG: Kobey Lam
- SF: Myle Powell
- PF: Songwei Zhu
- C: Hayden Blankley
Bay Area is still undefeated with Myles Powell on the court. The Dragons will look to keep that record immaculate by winning the Commissioner’s Cup crown this Sunday in Bulacan, with Powell likely to be in much better form than the one he showed up with in last Wednesday’s 87-84 victory in Game 6.
That’s saying a lot, considering that popped off for 29 points in that game on 11/20 shooting. Powell scored all that after a long layoff due to injury. Having shaken off all the rust, expect him to be a scarier offensive force for Bay Area in Game 7.
He could win the game by himself, but he doesn’t have to do that because he’s got an excellent support system with Hayden Blankley, Glen Yang, Songwei Zhu, and Kobey Lam all dangerous threats on their own. Bay Area’s 3-point shooting has been a big problem for Ginebra in the series. They hit 17 triples against just seven by the Barangay in Game 6. What’s another game for them to go berserk again from deep?
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (3-3)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Scottie Thompson
- SG: Stanley Pringle
- SF: Jamie Malonzo
- PF: Justin Brownlee
- C: Japeth Aguilar
Tim Cone has to figure out how he will best rotate his players. With LA Tenorio not feeling 100% in Game 6, Cone was forced to limit his playing time and give Nard Pinto a ton of minutes, which sort of held Ginebra’s offense hostage. Bay Area kept tempting Pinto to shoot the ball and that gamble paid off big time, with the former Arellano star going 1/9 from the field and 1/7 from deep. In any case, Pinto and every other Ginebra player not named Justin Brownlee have to step it up offensively.
Brownlee put up 37 points, grabbed 10 boards, and dished out 11 assists in an all-around heavy lifting that made Ginebra look like the 2015 NBA Finals Cleveland Cavaliers. Scottie Thompson has been a dud in the last two games, scoring just 15 points in Games 5 and 6 combined, while Jamie Malonzo coughed up just four points in Game 6.
With Game 7 getting moved to Sunday for some reason, Brownlee will get extra rest, while giving Cone more time to find a fix to Ginebra’s offensive woes. It sounds so cliche, but don’t overlook the power of Ginebra’s sixth man, as Barangay fans are expected to fill the Philippine Arena.
PREDICTION:
Spread: Ginebra (-4.0) covers the spread.
Over/Under: The total (183.5) hits the Over.
