STILL good enough to emerge as the tournament’s best?
Although he failed to lead NorthPort to the championship round, Batang Pier gunner Arvin Tolentino is poised to bag a first-ever Best Player of the Conference award in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Tolentino is a close second behind reigning eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel Beer in the BPC race with 39.9 SPs while NLEX prolific scorer Robert Bolick is third (32.7 SPs), while TNT star Clavin Oftana is at fourth, followed by Converge rookie Jordan Heading, who ranks fourth (32.5 SPs).
Oftana propped up his bid for the award with norms of 16.0 points and 5.9 rebounds in the semifinals against Rain or Shine.
Bolick and the Road Warriors failed to advance to the quarterfinals while Fajardo’s Beermen did not make the playoffs and Heading’s FiberXers were sent packing in the Last Eight.
Tolentino and his squad were ousted by the Ginebra Kings 1-4 in the semis.
In the finals against Ginebra, Oftana struggled to live up to his billing—scoring 10, five, and 16 points, respectively, in the first three games.
The BPC and best import awards will be handed out just before Game 4 of the Big Dance tonight at 7:30 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
While the top honor for the mid-season conference’s best local is debatable, the best import should be a no-brainer.
The Tropang Giga’s Rondae Hollis-Jefferson stands to capture a third best import diadem—and first in the Commissioner’s Cup after winning his previous two in the Governors’ Cup.
Hollis-Jefferson has 51.8 SPs after the eliminations behind NLEX’s Mike Watkins (52.7 SPs) but the Road Warriors only reached the quarterfinals.
Kadeem Jack of Northport is third with 51.6 SPs.
Magnolia’s Ricardo Ratliffe is running at No. 4 with 50.1 SPs while four rungs lower him is three-time winner Justine Brownlee of Ginebra with 45.2 SPs.
