In the Season 5 finale of Bente Uno, All-Star Analysts Larry Fonacier and Jett Manuel give their fearless forecasts for the 2023-24 season.
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00:00 Whether it's the regular season, playoffs, or the break,
00:03 the NBA is always buzzing and we're here to break it all down.
00:07 Welcome to the home of debates and hot takes.
00:10 This is our final episode of BENTE UNO.
00:13 [MUSIC]
00:28 So for this episode, we're going to focus on who is going to win it all,
00:34 who is going to be the league's best player,
00:37 and other sorts of questions in the upcoming 2023-2024 season.
00:42 So right now, we have a classic Clash of Katipunan matchup.
00:47 First, let's introduce someone you all know and love from his playing days.
00:51 He's a dead eye from deep and aiming for the win, Larry Fonachere.
00:56 Up next, we have a bona fide scorer who's always ready to shoot
01:01 and he won't pass up the opportunity to score one in our episode today.
01:07 We have Jet Manuel.
01:10 Okay, so I hear a lot of respect, a lot of kindness in this episode,
01:16 but I'll force the two of you to give some parting words
01:19 before we start the episode.
01:21 Larry, do you have a message to Jet?
01:23 Rain, this is so hard.
01:24 I mean, Jet was from UP. I work in UP every day.
01:27 You're forcing me to say something against UP.
01:30 It's so hard, but I've never won a BENTE UNO season episode yet,
01:35 so I'm going to go all out for this.
01:38 I will see what happens and I want to get my first win.
01:41 And how about you, Jet?
01:42 Right off the bat, I want to say that Larry was my idol.
01:45 One of my idols growing up.
01:47 You know, shooter, good looks. I don't know.
01:49 I don't know. That's just what I'm looking at.
01:52 But good luck if you're trying to get your first win
01:55 and I'm sorry if you don't.
01:56 All right, for the last time this season,
02:00 there are 21 points up for grabs.
02:02 In the first round, you will be given one minute
02:05 to share your analysis of our main topic.
02:08 Afterwards, you will be given 30 seconds
02:11 for each of your rebuttals.
02:12 The winner of this round gets seven points,
02:15 while in the second round, you will be given 30 seconds
02:17 to give your hot takes on two topics,
02:20 each worth four points.
02:22 And if things get tied up, we will have the third round,
02:25 which will be a trivia portion
02:27 with each question worth two points.
02:29 And as always, whoever gets the most points
02:32 after two or three rounds wins our episode.
02:35 Let's move over to our first round, which is...
02:38 Who will be the next season's champions?
02:41 Larry, why don't you start us off?
02:43 You have one minute on the clock.
02:45 The Denver Nuggets are winning
02:47 their second championship next season.
02:50 There is just simply no answer to Nicole Jokic
02:53 and Jamal Murray playing the two-man game.
02:55 They are even deadlier than the Duncan and the Parker duo.
02:59 If you look at their lineup, KCP is the oldest
03:02 with their starting lineup at 30 years old.
03:05 Everyone is 28, 27, 26, 24.
03:08 Their rookie is a contributor at so early.
03:12 This team has all the makings of a dynasty.
03:16 It seems that big ball is back,
03:18 and it seems like the small ball lineups
03:21 have to do the catching up to them.
03:24 Best of all, Coach Mike Malone seems to be the perfect coach
03:27 for this high-powered Ferrari, the Denver Nuggets.
03:31 Interesting take, Larry.
03:33 Now let's move over to you, Jet.
03:35 You have one minute on the clock.
03:36 If you look at last season, yes, the Denver Nuggets won that,
03:39 but you have to look at who they were up against.
03:42 It was the Miami Heat. No discredit to them.
03:43 They played well. But for me,
03:45 I think it's going to be the Boston Celtics.
03:47 They had an amazing season.
03:49 They have the core that they still have, Tatum.
03:52 They have Brown. And you have the big news
03:55 that they added Chris Laps Perzingas.
03:57 I mean, this guy, it's just, you know, he's a premier scorer,
04:01 and I think he's a perfect fit for the Boston Celtics
04:04 to take them over the edge.
04:06 He's a shooter from the three.
04:10 He can pick and pop with Tatum, with Brown.
04:12 He can alleviate, you know, that stagnant offense
04:16 or half-court offense that they have.
04:18 They have the option now to throw it in the post.
04:19 I think this guy's just a perfect fit.
04:21 And the experience with Coach Joe Mazzuola, you know,
04:24 coming back, having all of that experience,
04:27 coming into the playoffs, Tatum's, I think,
04:29 is going to have a great year.
04:30 You know, all of that adding up,
04:32 I think they have the biggest chance
04:33 to win next year's NBA championship.
04:35 Interesting that we're just in our first round,
04:38 but we have already a couple of hot takes coming on.
04:41 First off, with Larry's take on the Denver Nuggets,
04:44 he even mentioned the Duncan-Parker duo.
04:47 I think that's hot enough to be mentioned
04:50 in comparison to Jamal and Jokic.
04:53 Well, interesting also for Jet to mention
04:55 the Boston Celtics.
04:56 I mean, they are one of those teams
04:59 that have a lot of things up for them,
05:02 but they really have to keep improving
05:05 if they want to get to the next level.
05:07 And interesting that you also think that there's a premium
05:11 in their new addition of Chris Tapps for Zingis.
05:13 So now that you heard from both sides,
05:15 let's hear Jet's rebuttals on Larry's take
05:18 with the Denver Nuggets.
05:19 First of all, with that,
05:21 Tony Parker and Tim Duncan reference
05:24 is showing Larry's age.
05:25 I mean, I'm just saying.
05:26 But second, you know, yeah,
05:28 Jokic will still be that guy.
05:31 I think he's one of the best talents
05:33 that the NBA has ever seen.
05:34 Jamal Murray is still there.
05:35 But, you know, I think you have to look at who's contending.
05:38 They went up against Miami Heat.
05:40 I mean, it's not an easy road,
05:41 but it was an easier road
05:43 than if they went up against Celtics.
05:44 And that's why I'm so strong with the Boston Celtics.
05:47 They're gonna go to the NBA finals.
05:49 They have this one piece now.
05:50 You know, Larry, that they just--
05:52 All championship teams need experience.
05:54 And I think this experience of losing this past playoffs,
05:58 I think it's gonna take them over the edge, too.
06:00 See, that's the Jet we know and love.
06:03 The trash talker in his heart had to come out in this episode.
06:07 We started off strong, Jet.
06:09 We started off strong.
06:10 I thought this was gonna be the episode
06:12 where we're going to see some character development.
06:14 But no, Jet's really that big.
06:16 So since he already slandered you, Larry,
06:19 do you have a rebuttal for the younger Jet Manuel?
06:22 Well, as much as I love the Boston Celtics,
06:24 unfortunately, they gave up their heart and soul.
06:27 Marc was smart.
06:28 I think he was the guy who really fought hard
06:31 and blood, sweat, and tears,
06:33 really the hardest worker for Boston.
06:35 So that's gonna be a huge loss for them.
06:38 No doubt, Christophe Sporzini is a game changer,
06:40 but Marc was smart.
06:42 Such a huge, vital cog for Boston.
06:45 And I'm not ashamed of my age.
06:47 Aging is like wine. I love wine.
06:51 So slander my age more. I love it.
06:55 Yeah, let's rip Jet's heart out
06:57 and congratulate Larry on getting the first round,
07:01 bringing him up to seven points,
07:02 while Jet is trailing behind with...
07:05 Zero, yeah.
07:07 Now let's turn up the temperature
07:08 and move on to our hot takes.
07:11 The spicier the take, the more chances of scoring.
07:14 So for our first question, we have...
07:17 Who will have a big bounce-back year?
07:20 Now, since someone has to bounce back in this episode,
07:23 Jet, you have 30 seconds on the clock.
07:26 Okay, so for my player who's gonna have a big bounce-back year
07:30 from this year,
07:32 it's none other than Ja Morant.
07:35 Why? Why do we ask?
07:36 Because Ja Morant did not have a good season.
07:39 Not statistically speaking.
07:40 He had an amazing season, statistically speaking.
07:42 But this is because of his out-of-court issues.
07:47 So I'm just gonna have to say it out there.
07:49 Everything that went on with him and his life,
07:52 I think he's gonna come back after the suspension
07:55 and have a huge, huge bounce-back season.
07:58 Not only on the court, but also off the court.
08:00 I think we see some character development from him.
08:02 And, you know, speaking from a fan of Ja Morant,
08:05 I think he's gonna come out a better person after this.
08:07 Speaking from someone that we thought would have
08:09 character development this final episode,
08:13 interesting take, controversial player
08:16 for someone who seems to love controversy as well.
08:20 Thank you, Jet, for your answer.
08:22 Now let's move over to Larry.
08:24 You have 30 seconds as well.
08:26 Well, I went to UP Town this morning
08:28 and I went to the store and there were Ja Morant shirts there.
08:31 No one was buying them, so that's all I can say.
08:35 But for me, the bounce-back player for next year
08:38 will be Jordan Poole.
08:39 I told you, once he gets traded,
08:41 his numbers are gonna soar more.
08:44 20 points for us this last season,
08:46 and now we can expect more from him.
08:48 No pressure, no expectations,
08:50 no Clay and Steph to share the ball with,
08:52 and no Draymond Green to punch him.
08:55 [laughs]
08:56 I like that. I like that you started with some shots fired.
08:59 You know, don't let Jet trample on you like that.
09:03 Yes, Larry! Fight for yourself!
09:05 See, this is a bias. I don't get the bias in this show.
09:09 Ja Morant for Jet, and Larry chose Jordan Poole.
09:12 So now let's hear from our producers
09:14 to see who they think is going to be a player
09:17 that will bounce back next season.
09:19 Overall bounce-back year, guys.
09:21 I'm just letting the producers know, you know,
09:24 character development, you know, being a better person,
09:27 bounce-back, not only in the court, in life.
09:31 But interesting, though, he has a 25-game suspension,
09:34 so he has a lot of time to think.
09:37 All right, guys, so we're going to end our first question
09:40 with a bang!
09:42 We have Ja Morant giving Jet four points.
09:45 Jet, finally, you are on the board,
09:49 while Larry leads seven to four.
09:51 All right, the second round is not over
09:54 because we have another question for our analysts for today,
09:58 which is, "Who will be the next season's MVP?"
10:03 Larry, I'll give you the floor for this one.
10:05 You have 30 seconds.
10:07 Nikola Jokic should win his already supposed to be
10:10 fourth MVP award next season.
10:13 The guy is an effortless triple-double factory.
10:16 He makes his teammates better, better than anyone else.
10:20 Game management-wise, he's off the charts.
10:23 Best of all, he plays a very low-risk style of game.
10:27 He hardly jumps, and no one needs to worry
10:31 about him getting hurt.
10:32 Nikola Jokic, effortless, very humble,
10:36 doesn't want the spotlight.
10:37 Hands down, MVP for next season.
10:39 I'm telling you, you should be thankful
10:41 that I'm not calling the shots
10:42 because at this point, Larry already wins.
10:45 But, Jet, I will give you the floor as well.
10:50 Giannis is still one of the--
10:52 Actually, for me, the most dominant player in the league.
10:55 Yes, Jokic is the most-- You know, he can control the game.
10:58 He's one of the best players right now,
10:59 but Giannis is still the most dominant player.
11:02 30-point double-doubles, he's gonna average that next year.
11:05 If he has the ball in his hands the entire time during the game,
11:09 I think he's gonna go off, shoot more than 50%,
11:11 lead his team to the playoffs,
11:13 and he's just gonna go off this year.
11:14 I think he's gonna have an amazing year
11:15 and win that MVP award.
11:17 And I have to agree with you, Jet.
11:18 I mean, Giannis has always been known for the athletic guy
11:22 that just bulldozes against his opponents.
11:25 But this time around, he's playing with a lot more IQ,
11:28 and I think he's really embracing his role.
11:31 And didn't he have a tweet
11:35 where it was like his redemption era,
11:38 which I'm excited for as also a Giannis fan.
11:41 Okay, since this episode is getting kind of heated,
11:44 I want to hear from the two of you guys.
11:47 We'll give you a chance to defend your answers
11:50 or maybe come after the others a little more.
11:53 Let's start with you, Larry.
11:54 What do you think of the pick of Jet?
11:56 Yeah, Giannis is gonna be the MVP next season.
11:59 He just got his coach fired,
12:01 so he can choose whoever wants to coach him
12:03 or, you know, who--
12:05 You get Chris Middleton out so he can get the ball.
12:07 So, you know what?
12:09 For sure, he'll be MVP.
12:10 He can choose his teammates, whatever.
12:11 He's Giannis. He can do whatever he wants.
12:13 So, you're right.
12:14 You know, Giannis is gonna be MVP for next season.
12:17 He can customize and edit his team.
12:19 I didn't know that Larry had this in him.
12:21 This is really interesting to me.
12:24 What about you, Jet?
12:26 Do you have any takes on Nikola Jokic?
12:29 He's always been in the MVP rankings.
12:32 I think he's still gonna be there.
12:34 But my thing is, look, he just won a championship.
12:37 We're gonna question his drive now,
12:39 if he can keep going and win more.
12:41 And, you know, what if he just goes home?
12:43 He's been wanting to go home, gets fat.
12:45 You know, start of the season, takes it a little bit off.
12:48 And maybe the stats go down a little bit,
12:49 unlike Giannis, who's-- He's hungry.
12:52 You know, you always gotta go with a guy who's hungry.
12:54 Multiple MVP winners are constantly hungry for MVPs.
12:59 And for wins, so...
13:01 I don't know, I think Giannis is just a more hungry guy.
13:03 Figuratively, Jokic just can eat more.
13:06 [laughing]
13:09 Interesting take that Jet mentioned
13:11 was that Giannis cares more, and he is hungrier.
13:14 I mean, he left the playoffs in the first round,
13:18 and that should have been very disappointing and very--
13:20 You know, maybe he took it personally.
13:23 And usually, these drive players to become better.
13:26 So, interesting take there, Jet. I'll give you that.
13:28 Thanks, Rain. You're the best.
13:30 Uh...
13:31 Okay. Like, that matters.
13:34 Joke on!
13:35 [laughing]
13:39 We got interesting results here.
13:41 I mean, Jokic is fresh off of a championship.
13:45 And Jet has a point.
13:47 The hungrier player usually gets a lot more.
13:51 And when we talk about the MVP award, it's the regular season.
13:54 And Giannis, with all that hunger, with all that drive,
13:57 I'm sure he'll take every single game and play it like a championship.
14:02 Versus Jokic, might take a backseat,
14:04 especially with all the talent that he has in his roster,
14:07 realizing how his team is capable of working,
14:11 especially in crunch time.
14:12 So, we'll give this one to you, Jet.
14:15 Congratulations on your win.
14:17 So, things are getting heated in our scoreboard,
14:21 as Jet finally takes the lead at eight to seven,
14:25 which is why we'll move over to our trivia round
14:28 to see who really wins our season finale of Bente Uno.
14:33 For our finale, of course, we have to make things tight.
14:36 And we are on to our third and final round.
14:40 So, this round, we're going to talk about some trivia in the NBA.
14:44 And before we get into that,
14:46 we need to figure out who is taking what.
14:50 So, we're going to ask our analysts to make a buzzer.
14:54 So, let's go with you first, Jet, since you're in the lead.
14:57 What will your sound be so that we know you're the one going on?
15:01 -Hoot, hoot! -Okay, classic. Okay.
15:03 What about you, Larry? What sound do you want to go on?
15:06 I love UP.
15:07 Oops.
15:10 Oh. Oh. Okay.
15:13 -I really love UP. -Of course.
15:15 -Okay. -Of course.
15:16 There's too much violence, okay? I'm balancing it.
15:19 There's too much violence already, okay?
15:20 We need a little love in this episode.
15:22 And Larry obviously has to be the one to give that.
15:26 So, let's move over to our first question of the trivia round, which is...
15:30 How many playoff losses did the Denver Nuggets sustain
15:34 -in the 2023 champion-- -I love UP.
15:37 Okay, Larry.
15:38 Four. They lost four games only.
15:40 Actually, this was going to be a multiple-choice round,
15:44 but you got it right. Yes.
15:47 Yes.
15:48 They lost just four.
15:51 They beat the Timberwolves 4-1, defeated the Suns 4-2,
15:54 swept the Lakers, and won over the Heat 4-1.
15:58 -Yes. -You're in the lead 9-8 as of the moment.
16:02 So, let's move over to our second question, which is...
16:06 Joel Embiid is the first 76er to win the MVP award since...
16:12 A. Julius Irving,
16:14 B. Moses Malone,
16:16 C. Allen Iverson,
16:18 -and D. Will Chibberdale. -I love UP.
16:20 -C. C. C. C. -Hoot, hoot, hoot.
16:22 -I love UP. -Wrong.
16:24 -Oh. -Wrong.
16:25 -Jet. -Yes.
16:27 Okay, I guess, Larry,
16:29 because obviously, Jet was wrong in his sound.
16:34 Yes, Larry?
16:35 I love UP very much.
16:37 Allen Iverson, C.
16:39 -Yes. -Correct.
16:40 It is Allen Iverson,
16:42 and Iverson actually won that MVP award in 2001.
16:47 Congratulations, Larry.
16:49 You win the season finale and your first 21st episode.
16:55 Do you have any parting words for this very heated,
17:01 feisty matchup between you and Jet?
17:04 Well, all violence should end up with love.
17:08 I'll see you all in UP, Epsilon Chi Center one of these days.
17:11 Lunch is on me.
17:13 Unlee Rawdix, Unlee Nomu Milk Tea,
17:17 and Unlee Basketball for the whole day.
17:21 Come to my gym. I'll see you all.
17:23 I love this team. I love working with all you guys.
17:26 I can't wait to see you soon, and face-to-face next season.
17:29 What a win for the team as well,
17:31 who will be benefiting from all of that Unlee Rawdix.
17:36 How about you, Jet?
17:37 Is there anything you want to say to your kuya and your idol, Larry?
17:41 Congrats, Kuya Larry. I'm happy to go up against you.
17:45 I'm sad that I lost. I lost two episodes this season.
17:49 This is not a good season for me.
17:51 But, you know, there have been some...
17:54 It's been the last episode, right? There have been a little bit of bias,
17:57 I think, with the hosts and producers during my episodes.
18:01 I don't know why, but you know what?
18:03 This was a great season,
18:06 and I hope to see you guys all again in the next season, face-to-face.
18:10 I'm gonna get Kuya Larry's offer and go to Rawdix
18:14 for consoling my loss. Yes.
18:17 Congratulations to Larry on winning the final episode of Season 5.
18:22 And thank you, Jet, for being such a good sport.
18:25 And that's it for our season of Bente Uno.
18:29 Make sure to catch all our episodes on NBA.com Philippines.
18:33 And thank you, everybody, for supporting us.
18:36 My name is Rheen Tigzon, and this was Bente Uno.
18:39 [BOOM]