By Jason Webb

When the final call for the semifinal cast was posted, the top four seeds after the eliminations made it through for the second straight conference, fourth time in the last five conferences and sixth time in the last eight.

These four semifinal protagonists are not only the best in the eliminations but are also the most successful teams still active in the league today. San Miguel Beer, Purefoods, Alaska and Barangay Ginebra have combined for 45 championships while bringing home a total of 123 trophies to their company mantle.

With so much success under their belt, you would expect that these teams would be constant dancing partners in the playoffs. But such has not been the case. The last time we saw a playoff matchup between San Miguel and Purefoods was in the Governors Cup semifinals of 1997 while an Alaska-Ginebra series was last seen a conference earlier in the Commissioners Cup Finals of that same year.

Many things have changed since those years. The Discman has been replaced by the Ipod. Film has been replaced by digital photography. Bulky desktops have given way to sleek laptops and netbooks. The VHS has become extinct because of DVD’s. And in the spirit of the elections, the streamers are gone in favor of tarpaulins.

The four teams have not become immune to changes as well. The faces of Alvin Patrimonio, Jojo Lastimosa, Samboy Lim and Allan Caidic still greet us but they have traded away their long shorts for long pants. The only remnant of those battles still playing is Johnny Abbarrientos, but he has already switched allegiance to then bitter rival, Barangay Ginebra.

But even through all those changes, there are still many things that remind us of those 1997 teams.

Purefoods still owns arguably the most popular player.

San Miguel Beer still parades a galaxy of stars and is mentored by a Ron Jacobs disciple.

Alaska continues to be led by Tim Cone.

While Barangay Ginebra continues to be the most beloved team in the league.

Both series seem to give us a nice historical backdrop yet still allows us to whet our appetites by giving us the current superstars of the league.

It is almost like a DJ still mixing his music on vinyl. Modern beats with a retro feel.

The Alaska and Ginebra affair is a glaring contrast of two teams.

On one end, you have the methodical and efficient Aces going up against a Barangay Ginebra team fueled by momentum and grit.

And just like in 1997, the Aces are a picture of calm and unflappability while the Kings are the epitome of play fueled by emotion.

The Aces may have lost their way during the end run of their elimination campaign but a lot of it had to do with the long 19-day rest they had before their 2010 campaign started. Ironically, they also had 19 days of rest before they start their first semifinal game.

Alaska will need to make sure that their two best players, Willie Miller and LA Tenorio bring their A-game to the table.

The Aces also need to find an answer for JC Intal. And they need to take advantage of their size at power forward.

The Aces are not a great running team but they are an efficient one. With Alaska, the key always seems to be efficiency. If they win the battle of their assist-turnover ratio, that usually propels them to victory.

For a team to beat Barangay Ginebra, one has to have poise. And that’s one of the adjectives that can best describe the game of Alaska.

Barangay Ginebra is still walking on air after an improbable comeback against Talk 'N Text. The Kings have been a good 3-point shooting team all year but an even better one when they win their games. With the depth of Ginebra, it is impossible to pinpoint one guy that would be key to their victory. They have kept alive this injury-plagued season by their sheer will to survive.

With the emergence of both Intal and Ronald Tubid, combined with the return of Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa, their guard lineup has to be considered the deepest in the league. Add Celino Cruz and Cyrus Baguio to the mix and wise money would suggest that at least one of them will hurt you in a game. Their bench depth is a huge advantage.

Alaska’s poise should be a key component for them but I like Barangay Ginebra in this matchup because they’re simply the hottest team. They’re playing with so much confidence. And lately, the gods seem to be smiling upon them.

And I haven’t mentioned yet the throng of fans expected to fill up either the Araneta Coliseum or the Cuneta Astrodome to the rafters every game to cheer them on.

Purefoods took care of the upstart Elasto Painters but not without a scare. They avoided a painful debacle, but physically, there remain issues of pain with the Giants. Kerby Raymundo, James Yap, Rico Maierhofer, PJ Simon and Paul Artadi have all complained of some injury throughout the quarterfinals.

James Yap was amazing in the victories against Rain or Shine. But against a talented San Miguel team, they’ll need much more from the rest of the players to go to the finals. They’ll need to get consistent scoring from Raymundo and Roger Yap while hope that their role players accept bigger roles in the semis.

Marc Pingris and Maierhoffer were the unsung heroes of their series win against Rain or Shine. They epitomized the hustle and energy they badly needed to match the energy of their opponents. They’ll need to continue to play well for them a chance to beat SMB.

They’re a great rebounding team and can’t afford to be outworked by San Miguel because they’re not a great shooting team.

And that inability of Purefoods to score from the top to the bottom of their lineup should be the biggest disadvantage against San Miguel.

When you look at the SMB lineup, the only player with sufficient minutes that can’t shot from the outside is Dorian Pena. Each and every member of that team can not only shoot well but can also create their own shot.

You couple that with the desire of the each component of that team to play defense, it is a bad mix for any of their opponents.

Purefoods is a deep team but San Miguel’s bench depth is like an abyss. Purefoods has good players in every position but San Miguel will answer the quantity or quality of their own.

The Giants have a very good lineup but San Miguel simply has the better one on paper.

Purefoods’ biggest chance of winning this series is by catching a San Miguel Beer team last seen 25 days ago.

But if the Beermen come out sharp, look for the series to be a short one.