EXPECT new strategies on Wednesday in Game Two of the best-of-seven Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) All-Filipino semifinals in Bacolor, Pampanga. But simple they must be.
In a protracted struggle, it pays to simplify matters.
Always remember that in a war of long-haul proportions such as the race-to-win-four playoffs, each game has its own unique character. It need not be complicated by tactics too technical to handle.
Coaches should just go with the flow. Bear in mind that the other side will always have its own distinctive style of achieving success. Each game will constantly be a study in motion
One dribble at a time.
One shot at a time.
One game at a time.
Thus, in today’s skirmishes at the DHVSU Gym, both Magnolia and TNT Tropang Giga enjoy a one-game advantage over Meralco and San Miguel Beer, respectively.
That’s virtually nothing, actually.
Although it’s nice to be always ahead, winning the first salvo is hardly a factor. In fact, it can even be considered as meaningless as a jab, a graze, as in boxing. It can even lull you to sleep, falling into complacency and forgetting about the bigger mission: Win the championship.
In its aim today to make it two in a row, Magnolia has to lean anew on the terrific trio of Paul Lee, Ian Sangalang and Calvin Abueva. They are the brick wall backbone to contain Meralco’s phalanx of solid soldiers in Chris Newsome, Mac Belo and Rey Hugnatan.
Back to his beastly ways, Abueva anchored Magnolia’s 88-79 Game 1 win over Meralco, getting ample support from Sangalang and Lee, who scored 18 and 17 points, respectively.
“It’s really different having Calvin on the floor,” said Magnolia Coach Chito Victolero of Abueva.
But it’s a different story altogether in the SMB-TNT clash.
In winning Game 1, the Tropang Giga got fabulous performances from their Fab Four of Poy Erram, Troy Rosario, Jayson Castro and Roger Pogoy. Mikey Williams, coach Chot Reyes’s sensational rookie, even unwrapped a hidden talent of ably orchestrating play as he unselfishly abandoned his point-production prowess.
Still, the Beermen, behind most of the way, behaved like champions that they really are, missing to steal a victory when Marcio Lassiter bungled a dribble-drive-and-shoot attempt that allowed the Giga to escape with an 89-88 squeaker.
That wasn’t the cup of tea of Lassiter, who is famously known to sink closers with his thrilling pull-up jumpers from afar.
But as I said, that’s just one game. The journey on the long and winding road has barely taken its first step.
THAT’S IT Jake Ayson is right. By being together in their ongoing LPGA Tour golf campaign in America, Yuka Saso, Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina are glued by the magic of Pinoy bonding that will eliminate boredom, loneliness and even discrimination. Cheers!