Cross One

FEU 49, Ateneo 72

Trash the eliminations and put away your predictions. They didn't mean anything when these top two teams in the UAAP faced each other last Saturday.

(Not too) surprisingly, the results were very different from what happened before.

Ateneo's 26-8 first quarter run has already said everything that there is during the first game of the Finals. Led by various breaks from runners Eric Salamat and Kirk Long, the Eagles cruised through Game 1, crushing the FEU Tamaraws' competitive spirit and proving that even though things have changed, they can still defend the crown.

And the key was fantastic defense like you've never seen before. In almost all instances, there's always an Eagle in the front of an FEU cager holding the ball. Even in off-ball situations, most of them are ready to defend and check their man. FEU's top scorers, RR Garcia and Terence Romeo, never got a chance to shoot well both from inside and outside. Add to that the fact that the whole team wasn't really shooting very well, most especially those people whom they can truly rely on in terms of scoring, namely JR Cawaling and Paul Sanga.

Furthermore, it was a one-sided battle for the boards. The Ateneo frontcourt did a good job of boxing out and even securing second chance opportunities when each and every shot missed. Even the backcourt were there to grab the ball, run, and get easy baskets, resulting in 15 big fastbreak points, which made up the huge chunk of the lead.

Maybe a lot would ask: What went wrong with FEU? Jittery. Nothing coming in. Key players played like third stringers in a crucial game, Tonino Gonzaga can even beat them in terms of +/- ratings. Bottom line is, they just don't have that spunk and confidence in a Finals game. Worse, they battled for the championship and messed with the wrong guys, those who have already made key performances in the previous two Finals.

So what to do with a nervous team? Throw them on the ground. Exploit their defense. Go for the kill like there's no tomorrow. Be more than what others expected. And this was what the Eagles did.

This is the Ateneo way.

But this is just the first of a possible three-game series. Game 2 will be a different thing altogether. Both the Eagles and Tamaraws are hungry, and it's just that the former were hungrier during the first game. Let's see how this drama will play out in its next episode.

One Big Fight.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

-Although you can't give individual credit to the Blue Eagles because they really played as a team, there are some things that have to be lauded: Justin Chua's willingness to crash the boards and run on backdoor plays, Salamat and Long's tireless running on both sides of the court, Frank Golla's effort to stand on his own ground and not let anyone pass, and Emman Monfort's struggle to keep up with all the hacks and elbows on him. Good job, guys.

-Perhaps the most significant defensive stops that the Eagles have made during this game were on Reil Cervantes and Paul Sanga. While Cervantes' points were all from the charity stripe, Sanga's midrange shooting turned off (but out of stupidity, there were moments wherein Garcia and Romeo were still feeding him the ball in spite of this cold night)

-Aldrech Ramos and JR Cawaling were out of sight, out of mind during this first game.

-Speed also became the key. The Blue Eagles tired out the Tamaraws by running from all sides of the court and holding them off. I hope that FEU still plays Ateneo's fast game during Game 2.

-Everyone's favorite #8 with 8 points. The heart of a champion. 'Nuff said. No seriously, Bacon Austria came out to play and proved that he is part of this team.

ADMU 72 – Long 14, Chua 13, Salva 10, Monfort 9, Austria 8, Salamat 8, Erram 4, Gonzaga 2, Golla 2, Buenafe 2, Tiongson 0, dela Cruz 0.

FEU 49 – Garcia 11, Romeo 10, Cervantes 7, Noundou 6, Ramos 6, Cawaling 3, Exciminiano 2, Cruz 2, Bringas 2, Guerrero 0, Mendoza 0, Knuttel 0, Sanga 0.

Postscript: Yes, it's true Tonino Gonzaga got a whopping +18 compared to Carl Cruz's +2, the highest in terms of +/- for FEU.

Quarter scoring: 26-8, 42-21, 60-38, 72-49.

Inboundpass.com for the box, Fabilioh.com for the image.

6 Points: AdMU vs. FEU (Round 2)

Ateneo 72, FEU 74

-A grueling fight to the finish for both teams caught everyone's attention on a rainy Saturday afternoon. After leading by six heading into the final minutes of the fourth quarter, the Eagles was not able to keep up with the energy of the Tamaraws, allowing them to get by with a two-point win and thus sealing the number one spot for them.

-Lots of effort have been put forth by Ryan Buenafe and Nico Salva, who both saved Ateneo during their match against Adamson two weeks ago. We expect that they carry the same intensity that they had during these last three games as the Eagles enter the Final Four.

-As a point guard off the bench, Emman Monfort was able to hold off the FEU guards and prevented them from scoring inside, forcing them to take threes and just hope that they went in.

-During the first half, most Eric Salamat possessions led to Eric Salamat baskets.Most of the time in this game, we have lost the offensive rhythm that keeps us afloat during those kinds of games. Guess it's time to go back to the Black's board and redesign offensive plays.

-Hats off to our opponents RR Garcia for that courageous attempt at the three, and Terence Romeo for forcing his threes.

-Big bench players (both literally and figuratively), have to really step up in these times, most especially Arthur dela Cruz and Jason Escueta.

-May this loss serve as a means for the Blue Eagles to fully wake up and play the trademark team basketball that they used to do.

FEU (74) – Romeo 15, Ramos 15, Cervantes 14, Sanga 11, Garcia 8, Bringas 6, Cawaling 4, Noundou 1, Mendoza 0, Exciminiano 0.
ADMU (72) – Buenafe 14, Salva 13, Salamat 12, Chua 11, Long 8, Monfort 6, Tiongson 5, Golla 2, Escueta 1, Dela Cruz 0, Austria 0.
Quarter scoring: 16-17, 32-33, 54-50, 74-72

Inboundpass.com for the box, Fabilioh.com for the picture.

Reblog: The Top 12 Lakers Plot Lines For 2011

Here are some interesting things to look out for when the NBA season starts (courtesy of FB&G.com):

12. How much burn will the rookies get?

Second-round picks Derrick Caracter and Devin Ebanks showed a lot of promise this summer, but will it translate to success in the NBA? Both players will most likely only see small glimpses of the court during trash time, but Luke Walton’s ongoing injury woes could creak the window open a little. Caracter’s conditioning is also an issue, as the team only partially guaranteed his salary for the upcoming season, contingent on a weight check-up next week.

11. Does Pau take another step?

Pau Gasol’s image and stature around the league has undergone somewhat of a rapid metamorphosis in his two-plus seasons as a Laker. When he first arrived in L.A., Gasol was widely regarded as a soft, willowy big man—a strong offensive threat, adept passer, but a black hole on defense and largely incapable of serving as option 1.A. on a contending team. Nearly three years later, Gasol has improved to the point where he is considered by many to be one of the top three or four big men in the entire league. Last season, Pau upped his rebounding average to a career-high 11 per game, while also holding his own in the playoffs against the likes of Carlos Boozer, Amare Stoudemire and Kevin Garnett. With an offensive game as polished as any big man in the NBA, Pau’s ascent toward becoming an All-NBA second or first team selection will primarily depend on his growth on the defensive end.

10. Artest’s sophomore year

Ron proved his longtime naysayers wrong and was a key cog in the Lakers second consecutive championship. His irreplaceable defense and magnificent performance in Game 7 against Boston (both during and after the game) transformed the always entertaining forward into folk hero status in Tinseltown. Now that the proverbial monkey is off his back and he’s proven himself as a winner, what happens next? Does Artest come out with the same burning desire to win what would be his second title in a row? The addition of Barnes, along with the incumbent Bryant, means the Lakers have an enviable three premiere defenders at the wing spot, which should help with any fatigue issues after Ron played the longest season of his life.

9. Who backs up Bryant?

While the Lakers have all kinds of options on the wing with the addition of Barnes, the newly resigned Shannon Brown will still be relied upon to fill the lion’s share of minutes at the two behind Bryant. The Lakers need both Shannon and Sasha Vujacic—who figures to serve as a third string guard—to provide consistent support if they want to limit Kobe’s minutes during the regular season. Both players are coming off subpar regular seasons and playoff runs, but the hope is that Shannon’s second full year with the team and the confidence gained by Sasha after nailing two pivotal free throws in Game 7 will bode well for both guards.

8. Lamar Odom, post-World Championships

If you factor in the Lakers’ deep playoff runs over the past two seasons, Odom has been playing basketball for nearly two years straight. At a certain point, the 11-year forward has to start showing signs of fatigue, right? Even Lamar himself admitted that he wasn’t in tip-top shape when Team U.S.A. first took to the practice floor last month. Depending on how deep his team goes in the now single-elimination round of the FIBA World Championships, Odom could be looking at little to no time off between the end of the tournament and the start of training camp with the Lakers. The team’s improved bench should help some in this regard though, along with his experience as one of the de facto leaders of Team U.S.A.

7. Return of the bench mob?

If all goes as planned, the Lakers bench should be much-improved when the team heads to training camp in a short few weeks. With the additions of trusty veterans like Steve Blake, Matt Barnes and Theo Ratliff, the Lakers bolstered one of their lone weak spots from the past season—and did so with players who should fit in well with the team too. As with any new additions though, there’s no telling how seamless that integration will be until they actually step foot on the court. Steve Blake, in particular, should help shore up the Lakers’ longstanding weakness at point guard, while also spelling the aging Derek Fisher.

6. The importance of home court advantage

Conventional wisdom says that a group as seasoned as this Lakers squad is past the point of needing home court—even in a potential Game 7 situation against the likes of Boston, Orlando and Miami. Throw conventional wisdom out the door when discussing home court advantage, though; as much as players claim that it doesn’t matter, it clearly paid off in Game 7 against the Celtics. The race for home court throughout the playoffs figures to be a tough one too this year with Heat added to the fold. Where do the Lakers’ priorities lie at the end of the season if the team is banged up and it might make more sense to rest the starters?

5. Phil’s last stand?

It’s Phil’s last season. Again. There has been a lot of talk this offseason about motivation for this year’s team and near or at the top of that list has to be the quest to send Coach Jackson off into the sunset with a mindboggling fourth three-peat. For a man who practices Zen, winning a title this season would certainly represent a great deal of symmetry in what has been an amazing career. Then, there is the other camp who believes that Jackson wouldn’t turn down another chance to coach a potential four-peat team, especially considering there’s a decent chance the following season would be condensed due to a lockout.

4. Can Bynum finally stay healthy?

Is this the year when we finally get to see what Andew Bynum is made of for all 82 games…or at least something close to that figure? If you could describe the center’s career at this point with one phrase, it might be stop-and-go. How Andrew responds to yet another knee injury will go a long way in determining the Lakers three-peat fate. Even on one leg for most of the playoffs, #17 still provided a huge boost, particularly on the defensive end. If the resolve he displayed during the NBA Finals is any indication, Bynum’s head is in the right place and he could be on his way to a big season.

3. Kobe continues to build his legacy

For the first time in years, Kobe took the summer off to rest his battle-worn body—a body that many pundits claimed was beginning its steady decline last season. The All-NBA veteran had a few injuries to recuperate too, starting with a troublesome knee and mangled finger. Assuming both have healed to the point where they won’t be an issue for Bryant this season, all signs point to a monster year. With five NBA titles under his belt, Kobe is officially in “legacy mode,” only one championship away from tying His Airness and one away from his team tying the Celtics. Not that motivation has ever been an issue for him.

2. Battling the injury bug

The Lakers won their second consecutive championship last season in spite of a myriad of injuries that affected everyone in the starting lineup not named Derek Fisher. One year older, will the team be able to replicate their success if the injury bug bites once again? An improved bench should help this cause, but injuries on an aging team will again be a wild card as the team looks to cement its place in the history books.

1. Where’s the motivation?

Top to bottom, the Lakers are, by and large, a well-disciplined, focused team. After winning back-to-back NBA titles and most of the team basking in the glory from their seven-game duel with Boston, the Lakers will still have to resist the urge to take their foot off the pedal this season. Kobe Bryant will make sure they stay on course though, as he prepares to fight for his second career three-peat. Moreover, the emergence of the Heat as a new league superpower should have the Forum Blue and Gold ready to go to battle from day one of training camp.

basketwallpapers.com for the picture

Make Or Break: AdMU vs. FEU

First Round Flashback:

The first game of Season 73 went as expected by those who waited for it all year long. With the Tamaraws' key players from Season 72 intact and Ateneo trying to rebuild another championship team after the loss of main men Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Nonoy Baclao, and Jai Reyes, both of these teams stood on equal grounds. The game was tension-filled as baskets were traded and one could not put away the other for good.

This showed how FEU was determined to finally get a championship stint, while Ateneo still struggles to adjust. With Ateneo leading by 4 before the fourth quarter, the Tamaraws relied on sophomore RR Garcia's big baskets to give them a lead during the final minutes of the game. Unfortunately, when FEU was up by two, Nico Salva was not able to force overtime, as he botched a reverse lay up, giving Garcia a rebound and sending him to the charity stripe to put another point and give FEU the win, 72-69.

Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles (10-3)

Make:
-The Eagles will have to bring their A-game into the Coliseum this Saturday, showing that they have improved after twelve regular season games. Everyone has to step up and not just rely on individual breakout games. They have to bring out the smoothest and most efficient offensive flows as much as possible, finding open baskets that escape the FEU defense.

-Three point shooting will help much in this game. Previously, the Blue Squad went cold in the arc, with a measly 1 out of 14 3-point attempts. But since then, 3-point shooting has been more efficient, led by gunners Emman Monfort and Juami Tiongson, with some from Salamat.

-Forcing the ball from the inside and earning fouls from the FEU big men will help them win this last game of the season. Ateneo has been very efficient from the charity stripe in this season, making more than seventy percent of their free throws. Also, by bringing the ball inside (through the big men and Ryan Buenafe), they can put the pressure on the interior and give the shooters (Monfort, Long, et al.) space to do their thing.

Break:

-It looks like Nico Salva (and his broken finger) will find difficulties on the offensive end. Though he worked well against Adamson, his performance against UE and UST showed that he has to get over his scoring slump. If he has not yet gotten over it, then it's one offensive weapon down for Ateneo.

-Defending the three point line is another concern for the Eagles. Their game against UST should be a wake up call for them to move quickly during ballscreens and stick close to the snipers. Garcia, together with forward Paul Sanga and guard Terrence Romeo are threats from the line, and if they continue to click, then there will be problems with Ateneo catching up.

Far Eastern University Tamaraws (11-2)

Make:

-FEU lost its dominance in the second round, when a late run by Adamson brought them their first defeat, while their second was dealt by an 80-66 blowout against La Salle, thanks to Simon Atkins. If only they can get back to their trademark defense which involves holding off the pain through Reil Cervantes and Aldrech Ramos, then they might get back on track and gain momentum just in time for the Final Four to commence.

-Even though JR Cawaling has been silent in the second round, rookie Terrence Romeo and sophomore RR Garcia have been carrying the scoring load for the Tamaraws. So far, they have been very efficient both in the perimeter and beyond the three-point line, thanks to the effective high screens designed for them by coach Glenn Capacio. The combination of these two might just be the key to winning the game for them.

-As long as Aldrech Ramos is present in the game, the pain is never a problem for the defense of FEU. The advantage brought by his height and wingspan could make inside scoring difficult for the Eagles. What Ramos is capable of would be a potential threat for the Eagles, for it could pose various inside scoring problems for Ateneo's scoring guards.
Break:

-With the exception of Romeo, the presence of the bench players was not much felt during FEU losses. Most of them were scoring below five points and shooting poorly both from the inside and the outside. If this continues, then the starters would need to tire themselves out and step up just to keep up with the Ateneo bench players, who, during the last three games, have really stepped up and played like role players (hint: Chris de Chavez?)

-While they take a firm grip in the paint, they have to still defend the perimeter and the three-point line. What brought them down during their match against DLSU (and AdU, in the final minutes) was the fact that they gave space to their shooters (Alvarez and Atkins were able to make crucial threes with the FEU guards giving them too much space). A major breakdown in defense which would affect the way they clamp down on the perimeter.

One Big Fight.

Fabilioh.com for the picture.

6 Points: AdMU vs. UST (Round 2)

Ateneo 81, UST 77

-All of those stat sheets and scoreboards lie. If not for errors on defense and sloppy offense for the last five minutes of the game, it should have been as good as done earlier.

-Hooray for Chris de Chavez for his breakout game. Surprisingly, he was able to find his niche in the second stringers and was able to put Ateneo up ahead early in the first canto.

-Related to this is the superb performance of the bench. They were able to keep the momentum up (and, for some, close the game out) while Salamat and Buenafe were taking a rest for this game (perhaps to prepare for FEU).

-Credit to Jeric Teng for never giving up on his team. While the rest were already acting as if the game ended, he was steady from start to finish. I hope that his attitude will serve as an example to the Blue Squad.

-With the different player rotations that Coach Norman made today, I think he's trying to prove a point to the team. The problem is, when needed most, the key players were seated in the bench. A lesson of team trust? Of stepping up?

-Though the game was already good team basketball for the Eagles, there were still a few things that need to be tweaked, like Eric Salamat's ball distribution and Nico Salva's jumpers. Hopefully they'll all go back in the match against FEU, which is Ateneo's last game of the regular season.

Special Awards

Best in Blue: Chris de Chavez (for his breakout performance)

Worst in Blue: Nico Salva (back to his slump)

Best Opponent: Jeric Teng (proved his ability to catch up with clutch)

Worst Opponent: Paulo Pe (hrrrrrrrnnnnnggghhhhhh... if not for the four points he contributed, there wasn't anything else)

Ateneo 81 – Salamat 18, De Chavez 12, Chua 11, Long 10, Buenafe 6, dela Cruz 6, Monfort 6, Golla 5, Salva 3, Austria 2, Tiongson 2, Escueta 0.
UST 77 – Teng 23, Bautista 16, Afuang 10, Daquioag 10, Mariano 8, Fortuna 6, Pe 4, Aytona 0, Camus 0, Marata 0, Mamaril 0, Marquez 0, Lo 0, Tinte 0, Lo

Inboundpass.com for the box and the picture.