PAUL LEE AND JVEE CASIO: DIFFERENT ANIMALS, SAME BEASTS

The Paul Lee - JVee Casio thing has sort of taken a backseat to Gary David's scoring exploits and Rain or Shine's 12-deep offensive arsenal in the PBA Playoffs, but I still see the two young bucks doin' work. And the great thing about this is this debate is going to be great for years to come so we can still enjoy the Gary David show while it's still in the box office.

I personally like comparing and contrasting great players: MJ vs Kobe, Magic vs Bird, Jaworski vs everyone and what-have-you. Because at the core of this great game of basketball are the players, putting work into their own games so they can contribute to the team. If you want your team to be great, your game has to be on point, and Lee and Casio are some of the most talented rooks to ever step on the PBA floor. So The Lethal Weapon and GShock Casio make a great case when you pit these spitfire guards head-to-head.

I am a huge, huge fan of the spectacular Paul Lee. I became a believer when he crossed up his homeboy Eric Salamat on an iso and scored on a double-clutch layup with the foul in a UAAP elims game during Lee's first year. During that time Eric was crossing up every cat in the UAAP, and Paul virtually took the stage and declared "My homie's not the only guy who can break ankles." When Coach Lawrence Chongson handed him the keys to the UE Red Warriors offense, Paul literally went supernova on the league, leading the league in scoring, winning awards and breaking ankles. Defending him became a puzzle: he could torch you from long distance, or bully his way in the paint and score on your big man. At a strong 6'0", Lee was a monster for opposing guards, and he played with a certain Pinoy playground swag that assured teammates that if you give him the rock, he'll give you the chance to win. So get the heck out of his way. He has a quick trigger jumper, a thousand finishing moves around the rim, and dribble moves you only learn in playground pickup games. He's just that type of guy: his takeover play has been sharpened by the mean streets of Tondo where he mastered his daredevil drives and fantastic forays to the rim. His game screams "I'm the Man up in this joint. Basta bigay mo sa akin bola, ako ang bahala."

Jospeh Evans Casio is a different type of silent assassin. At 5'10" on a good day and in street clothes, and with a nickname that sounds like the name of a Pokemon, JVee's the poster boy for Milo's Best basketball aspirants: great basic ballhandling skills, passes first before looking for his own shot which happenes to be as smooth as silk, and with a schoolboy demeanour that never changes throughout the game, no matter the situation. Plus, after he silently drops 27 points on you on a vast array of jumpers and floaters, he'd smile at you and shake your hand after the game. Schooled by some of the game's most bemedalled coaches Ato Badolato of San Beda College and Franz Pumaren of De La Salle University, JVee is a coach's dream: a player who sticks to the plan and plays honest to goodness hoops, a basketball scholar who uses his smarts to overcome the game's greatest challenges. His moves may not be as spectacular as them cats on the playgrounds, but his game is so fundamentally grounded that he does ordinary things extraordinarily well. You know those crossovers, mid-range jumpers, and teardrop floaters are coming, but JVee's game is so smooth, defenders can't stop him. Just ask Iran, Korea, Chinese Taipei, Japan, and all them other dudes JVee schooled as a Gilas hotshot.

But at the core of Paul and JVee are competitors: ballers who care about nothing but the W. They may do it in different ways, but they want the same result. Paul Lee's hang-time pasabit layup gets two points just like Casio's off-the-screen 15 foot jumper. Lee's 30 foot three point bomb gets three points just like JVee's corner three off a David pass. Paul's no-look pass to a cutting Beau Belga for a deuce is an assist, just like JVee's basic shovel pass for a Doug Kramer layup.

When the game is on the line, JVee and Paul want the ball in their hands. They want the responsibility, the chance to win or lose, they want it on them. Just like when Lee hit a crucial triple against Ginebra and JVee got the hoop and the harm to cut RoS's lead to 1 in the 4th quarter, both players let out a primal roar. Underneath the cool, calm, and collected exteriors lie competitive beasts, who would do anything for the sweet taste of victory.

Lee and Casio play different games, but they want the same result. Lee will specactularly score in bunches. JVee will scatter points with surgical precision. But in the end, what matters to them is if they have another W, if they're the ones whose fists are raised in the end.

As to who's the better baller? I'm gonna postpone judgment on that. I'm going to enjoy the show first, coz these big time ballers are gonna be duking it out for a long, long time.