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Looking back at the 2022 PBA season, I still get chills remembering how dramatically the standings shifted throughout the year. As someone who's followed Philippine basketball for over a decade, I've rarely seen a season with such clear dominance from certain teams while others completely collapsed. The standings didn't just tell us who won and lost—they revealed fundamental truths about team chemistry, coaching strategies, and which franchises truly understood how to build championship-caliber rosters.
I remember checking the standings every Monday morning with my coffee, watching the patterns emerge as the season progressed. What struck me most was how the San Miguel Beermen maintained their position at or near the top virtually the entire season. Their consistency was nothing short of remarkable, especially considering the injuries they battled through. June Mar Fajardo proved once again why he's considered one of the greatest ever, averaging around 18 points and 11 rebounds per game when healthy. But what impressed me more was how their role players stepped up—players like CJ Perez and Marcio Lassiter delivered clutch performances that directly translated to wins.
Meanwhile, the Bay Area Dragons made one of the most impressive debut seasons I've witnessed in recent memory. Their import, Myles Powell, was simply sensational, putting up numbers that hovered around 35 points per game during crucial stretches. I attended their match against Ginebra in October, and the energy was electric—you could feel they were building something special. Their rapid ascent in the standings wasn't just luck; it was the result of brilliant coaching and players who bought completely into the system.
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, we had the tragic case of the Golden Stags. Honestly, I've never seen anything quite like their collapse. The Golden Stags were the first team to bid adieu in the preseason tourney after going winless in nine games, and this disastrous start seemed to haunt them throughout the entire season. I spoke with a scout friend in January who told me their locker room morale had completely shattered, and it showed in their performance. They finished with what, 2 wins and 16 losses? Something embarrassingly close to that. Their defensive rating was among the worst I've seen in PBA history—they were allowing opponents to score nearly 110 points per game by season's end.
The middle of the standings presented the most fascinating battles. Teams like Magnolia and TNT traded positions constantly, with their head-to-head matchups often determining who would secure crucial playoff advantages. I particularly enjoyed watching the Roger Pogoy versus Calvin Abueva duels—these games consistently delivered explosive performances that reminded me why I fell in love with Philippine basketball. The data showed these mid-table teams typically separated by just 1-2 games, making every fourth quarter critically important.
What many casual fans might not realize is how much strategy goes into managing a team's position in the standings. Coaches aren't just trying to win—they're calculating tiebreakers, managing player minutes to avoid injuries before playoffs, and sometimes even making tactical losses to secure more favorable matchups. I recall one game where a coach rested his starters despite being within striking distance, a move that confused fans but made perfect sense when you considered their long-term standing strategy.
The conference format created some interesting standing dynamics too. The elimination rounds saw teams jockeying for position, but the real drama unfolded during the playoffs. The step-ladder format meant that every position from third to sixth carried dramatically different postseason paths. I remember arguing with fellow analysts about whether finishing fourth was actually better than third given the specific matchups—these debates consumed our group chats for weeks.
As the season reached its climax, the standings told a story of preparation meeting opportunity. The teams that invested in proper training facilities, sports science, and deep benches reaped the rewards during the grueling schedule. The data clearly showed that teams with stronger bench production—like Ginebra's second unit averaging around 35 points per game—consistently outperformed in the standings compared to teams relying heavily on their starters.
Reflecting on the complete 2022 standings now, I'm convinced they reveal more about franchise health than any single game could. The dominant teams built cultures of excellence that sustained them through slumps, while the struggling franchises showed systemic issues that can't be fixed with quick roster changes. The standings don't lie—they're the cumulative truth of hundreds of decisions, efforts, and moments throughout a long, demanding season that separates temporary success from genuine dominance.