First Day Thoughts

Miami 88, Boston 80

This game just showed how difficult it is to meld superstars together and play as one coherent team.

This is not to say that it is impossible, even though most would think that it is because all of these three are role-playing scorers who carry most of the offensive load in their own teams (Cleveland and Toronto in the case of James and Bosh, and the old Miami Heat for Wade). What this game revealed to us is that to create a team of superstars, it takes time and adjustments to bring them together, to be able to "read" each other and feel their own rhythms from both sides of the court.

And as coach Erik Spoelstra said, "it takes time."

L.A. Lakers 112, Houston 110

This is one of those moments wherein the Lakers' closer is not named "Kobe Bryant."

While everyone thought that the Purple and Gold will go 0-1, with the underrated Houston Rockets leading by double digits entering into the second half, Steve Blake and Shannon Brown exploded, hit back-to-back three pointers, made key steals and converted them into points, to bring the Lakers back into the game.

Add to that the three-pointer delivered by Blake off a pass from Bryant, to put the Lakers up by 2 in the final seconds, as well as Lamar Odom's block against Aaron Brooks' layup which could have extended the game to overtime.

This shows that the Lakers now ceased to be a Kobe Bryant-Pau Gasol show (who got 24 and 29 respectively, with the Spanish Armada grabbing 11 boards along side Odom's 10). Perhaps it is a message that the Lakers now are stronger not just as a pack of players, but as a cohesive and effective team.

And everyone, even Miami, ought to be afraid of the fact that the Purple and Gold keeps on getting better and better.

Portland 106, Phoenix 92

Take it from Steve Nash, and believe every word he said. As far as everyone remembers, he mentioned that he himself does not believe that the Suns will make it in the playoffs this season.

The Suns came and played their usual run and gun with Hedo Turkoglu and Hakim Warrick. But despite all efforts, they fell short against the Portland Trailblazers, who, despite front office mismanagement, was able to keep its key players and maintain their poise all throughout the game.

French forward Nick Batum came in as a surprise when he played only for 27 minutes, but he was efficient as he scored 19 points and 11 rebounds, five of them as second chance opportunities. On the other hand, Jason Richardson, who a few months ago brought down the struggling Trailblazers during the '10 playoffs, had 22 big points, with 9 out of 13 treys, but was not able to deliver during the final minutes.

Again, just not enough, Phoenix Suns. Just not enough.

The End Credits (Part 1)

Ateneo 65, FEU 62
Eagles clinch Season 73 Title

At the end of the first quarter, perhaps there was one thing that the Blue Eagles fans had in mind: FEU came to play. It is highly possible that there will be a series-deciding Game 3 on Sunday, where the Blue Eagles will find challenging.

And that was almost the same impression that the Tamaraws imprinted upon the minds of the crowd three months ago, when a rebuilding Blue Squad faced the revitalized Green and Gold, ready to take back what they believed was theirs. Eventually, Ateneo lost the tight match and grab an 0-1 card, the first since four years back.

These were different events, different circumstances. But one thing was common: there was thedesire and eagerness to fight until the final buzzer just to get the win. However, the difference was very clear. While FEU went on to win its two bouts with Ateneo during the eliminations, the Blue Eagles were able to bag the most crucial ones, those that led to their third straight championship.

Following a 72-49 rout of the Tamaraws during the first game, the Eagles found themselves in a precarious position after the opening act, trailing by nine. Despite this big deficit (considering this is a very tight Finals match where leads as large as three can already affect a team), Ateneo maintained its poise and tried to work its way up. Thanks to 17-9 second quarter, the Blue and White trimmed the Tams' lead down to one, and by the third, the Eagles took hold of the ballgame, a possession ahead of FEU.

And from there, it was the wildest ride that the Blue Eagles and the faithful Sixth Men had.

Lots of lead changes, attempts at catching up, and dramatic situations surfaced during the last ten minutes of the game. FEU wants to regain the lead badly and land on a soft cushion as the final minutes tick off, but they can't just get the hold of it as the Blue Eagles protected their lead through and through. They've had a lot of opportunities to take that precious lead, but missed free throws and bad possessions allowed the Eagles to let time pass while holding on. The most significant one, which could have turned the tables for the Green and Gold, came when Frank Golla "supposedly" fouled Paul Sanga from beyond the arc, giving him three foul shots to tie the game. Out of three, only one went in. The score: 61-59.

All through out the eliminations, there were a lot of moments where Ateneo was not able to hold its ground. They've blown games that should have secured the wins. They have played lousy defense and deviated from Norman Black's instructions. They have let open threes and clutch jumpers. To be simple, they've just let the other team pass by without fighting back.

But this one's definitely different. And it was because of the trey.

Ryan Buenafe, who made only 2 out of 27 three-point attempts, set up an isolation play, waved off Carl Cruz (who in turn stepped back) and took perhaps the bravest shot ever. He threw up the three-pointer that cemented the lead and put away the Tamaraws up for good.

That shot was perhaps the most glorious moment for an Ateneo team and crowd who perceived this as a transitional season, where there is no promised or expected championship title, where there is no one who stands as a star or consistent go-to guy, where a grandslam seems to be impossible.

But impossible and unexpected as this may be, it happened. Bacon Austria went to the charity stripe to add one more point and nailing the coffin. Reil Cervantes made a three to bring some dignity into their final score.

As the final buzzer sounded, it was history. It was what everyone believed in and fought for.

It was the sweetest, to say the least.

The scores:

ADMU (65) – Buenafe 23, Monfort 10, Salva 9, Long 7, Chua 7, Salamat 3, Golla 3, Escueta 2, Austria 1, Erram 0, Gonzaga 0, De Chavez 0

FEU (62) – Cervantes 15, Sanga 13, Ramos 9, Cawaling 8, Noundou 6, Garcia 6, Romeo 2, Exciminiano 2, Bringas 1, Cruz 0, Guerrero 0

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