The Fifteenth Gold: SEA Games Men's Basketball Finals

Sinag Pilipinas 85, Thailand 57
Sinag Pilipinas grabs gold medal for Men's Basketball


-Both the Sinag Pilipinas team and its supporters would have wanted to fight with the home team just to make things a tad bit more challenging. However, the Thai team halted the Indonesians with a slim 65-62 victory over them, giving them another chance to face Sinag and hopefully snag a victory out of them. However, nothing much changed, as Sinag buried the Thais with a big 30-point win against them.

-Surprisingly, this last battle is not a high-scoring one, as the Sinag Pilipinas finished just with a double-digit score with a relatively lower 28 point victory. But then, the score is not a priority for a defense-oriented team that tightened its defense when needed. The best defensive combo in this game? It must be Greg Slaughter and Dave Marcelo manning the paint, denying any of the Thai players good shots from inside.

-Slaughter became the centerpiece of this magnificent gold-medal win, as he used his height advantage to score from the inside and, in turn, become a threat in the paint. Kiefer Ravena and Bobby Ray Parks served as his wingmen, ready to cut and find their spots once Slaughter is hounded by double and triple teams.

-Despite a few cold moments in the game, the offense still went well for Sinag Pilipinas. Parks, Ravena, Emman Monfort, RR Garcia and Chris Tiu dictated the pace of the game, as they continued to run and make big breaks for easy baskets. Likewise, the secondary breaks were well-executed, surprising the Thai defense with quick dribble drives and kick-outs to open jumpers.

-Much like the first Smart Gilas team, we see here the future of Philippine basketball in the next three or so years. Parks and Ravena, alongside other UAAP and NCAA players, might just earn a slot in what they dub as the Smart Gilas 2.0, and Coach Norman Black might move a notch up in terms of his coaching career (but the question is, How will he manage to still coach the Blue Eagles and at the same time be a part of the national team? This might be too much foresight, but this situation is possible).

The Scores:

Sinag Pilipinas 85 – Slaughter 16, Parks 15, Garcia 12, Ravena 10, Monfort 8, Tiu 6, Marcelo 6, Pascual 5, Hodge 5, Salva 2, Ellis 0.

Thailand 57 – Kaedum 17, Sangthong 11, Lertmalaiporn 11, kongkum 8, Apiromvilachai 6, Klahan 2, Ghogar 2, Jantuma 0, Kruatiwa 0.

Quarterscores: 21-17; 44-25; 61-42; 85-57

Credits to Interaktv for the box score, and the Sinag Pilipinas Facebook page for the image.

Game Notes: RP vs. Vietnam (2011 SEA Games)

Sinag Pilipinas 107, Vietnam 53


-After having scored just 5 points in the national team's bout against Cambodia, Greg Slaughter came out to score 20 and lead the team to another lopsided game. Coach Norman Black now utilized his size and strengthe to wreak havoc on both sides of the floor, as he muscled his way into the basket for easy scores, hit his free throws, and, on the other hand, disrupt any opponent who would dare score from the paint.

-Bobby Ray Parks came out as well as he gave his own big contribution to this win. This time, he played most of the game as a shooting guard, partnered with Kiefer Ravena who takes up the one position. Isn't it a splendid sight when we see two of them running together and leading breaks after a steal or a turnover from Vietnam?

-Still lacking team chemistry, it was a good thing that the national team's defense clicked and went for the kill, becoming the main ingredient for this win that goes together with Sinag Pilipinas' explosive and potent offense. The national team exploited the 1-on-1 offense of the opponent and made sure that the Vietnamese would work double to get their baskets. Case in point: the 32-4 first quarter dominance that gave Sinag Pilipinas an opportunity to breathe but at the same time maintain their pace during the whole game.

-Dave Marcelo's game was no less than fantastic. Besides providing his part in completing offensive plays in the post, he was able to hold off the Vietnamese big men especially in the boards, where he got 10 of his own.

-Another thing that came up in this bout against Vietnam is the execution of what Chris Soler of inboundpass.com calls as "secondary breaks," wherein when a fastbreak attempt would not be feasible, players would make quick passes to free up someone who can easily score the basket. This will perhaps be one of the most dangerous weapons Sinag Pilipinas has, and other teams have to be on the look when these secondary breaks are executed.

-Thank heavens, the TV coverage was better compared to the game against Cambodia.

The Scores:

Sinag Pilipinas 107 – Slaughter 20, Parks 19, Ellis 11, Lanete 11, Marcelo 9, Pascual 8, Ravena 8, Hodge 8, Salva 4, Tiu 4, Monfort 3.

Vietnam 53 – Nguyen Huy 11, Le 10, Trieu 8, Duong 7, Doan 7, Hoang 6, Ngo 2, Vu 2, Nguyen San 0, Le Tien 0, Du 0.

Quarterscores: 32-4; 59-23; 84-41; 107-53.

Credits to Interaksyon for the box scores.

Game Notes: RP vs. Cambodia (2011 SEA Games)

Philippines 127, Cambodia 68


-This 59-point wallop of Cambodia, a team that has almost always landed the bottom spot in the Southeast Asian Games, really does not say much of Sinag Pilipinas.However, this first game may well be a preview of how Coach Norman Black will run the team for the rest of the tournament. And for this first match, they relied on what was tried, tested, and used for their practices: effectively setting up plays for the team's most reliable scorers and scoring off turnovers and from transition baskets.

-However, defense and chemistry, if not problems, are concerns that need to be addressed in the next few games. Despite having found people who can reliably score, the team still has not melded as a unit. There are still things need to be polished in terms of setting plays from both ends of the court, and that includes off-ball movement, something essential in their plays. Hopefully, each member of the Sinag Pilipinas finds their niche and play effectively in the coming games.

-On the other hand, despite not blending the way they should be, Sinag Pilipinas shot 71% from the field and held the Cambodian national team to a 35% clip, en route to this big 59-point win, bigger than the last one against this same team (a 52 point margin 4 years ago).

-The national team relied on a lot of transition baskets, having the guards run for easy points after rebounds or steals. Did we not see that a few months ago when the Ateneo Blue Eagles defended their crown in the UAAP? It's obvious that Coach Norman Black still has the same strategies in mind, and it proved to be effective so far.

-Ravena showed why he is worthy of being selected as a Mythical Five member of last year's FIBA U-18. He led Sinag Pilipinas in scoring, dropping 17 huge points all through out the game, squeaking his way past larger and older opponents, plus a dunk off a transition basket. Furthermore, it's also important to note that the two MVPs of Metro Manila's major collegiate leagues have stepped up. Nico Salva and Dave Marcelo had a combined 26 point effort in this win.

-When was the last time Greg Slaughter had a single digit output? Perhaps the lockdown defense put on the Cambodian team against him, most probably because of his towering figure, had Coach Norman pull him out and had him replaced by Cliff Hodge, who is obviously faster than Slaughter and can more easily shake off their undersized big men. Perhaps one thing that Slaughter has to work on will be his quickness and footwork when it comes to those situations. We never know, but we might need him in tighter stretches.

-Selection of Emman Monfort questionable? Perhaps it's time for doubters to think again. Earlier in the game he forced two turnovers, snagged the ball once, and had a good defensive effort despite scoring 2 points. And he was able to lead the team, effectively implementing Coach Norman Black's system despite having a different set of guys in the lineup. And speaking of which, did anyone notice that the first five of the game is the Ateneo first five, with Parks replacing American guard Kirk Long?

-One note on the coverage, though. Can Indonesia have the production staff for the basketball games replaced? We viewers seem to have a hard time watching the game with their camera angles and all that.

The Scores:

Sinag Pilipinas 127 – Ravena 17, Garcia 16, Lanete 15, Salva 14, Marcelo 12, Ellis 12, Parks 10, Tiu 9, Hodge 9, Pascual 6, Slaughter 5, Monfort 2.

Cambodia 68 – Sophoeun 24, Pek 24, Boroth 15, Kim, V. 3, Kim 0, Sovann 0, Meas 0, Monh 0, Lov 0, Chom 0.

Quarterscores: 35-20; 61-39; 93-56; 127-68

Credits to Baseballdeworld.com for the pic, Interaksyon for the box.