Ateneo 82, FEU 69
Blue Eagles clinch fourth straight Championship
(Finals MVP: Nico Salva)
As the moment for Ateneo to claim its fourth straight championship draws near, people have been talking about the second game of the Finals through historical references. Some would like to go back to Season 73, expecting that FEU can deliver a better game and bring out another Ryan Buenafe who would seal the deal for the Blue Eagles. Others would go back to the 2009 championship against the UE Red Warriors, which practically broke the "October curse" (wherein Ateneo, in the past decade, loses to its Finals matches set in October). Even others, doubters specifically, would go back to 2003, telling the Blue Eagles that they should watch out, because the Tamaraws are hungrier with their backs against the wall.
But for this year's Blue Eagles, as part of Coach Norman Black's philosophy, the past has always been the past. The Game 1 domination over the FEU Tamaraws has given them both so much and so little. On one hand, they have the advantage and is one game closer to the fourpeat that they and the Ateneo community wanted so bad. On the other hand, the scores are back to 0-0 and they will have to start again, especially now that things might change because both teams have been given so much time to prepare and see what needs to be improved. However, one thing has remained the same for them, something that they have carried over since summer break: that the Blue Eagles are hungry for the win and they will go for the kill if presented with the opportunity, and they entered the possibly last game of the season with this mindset.
The first quarter became a tit-for-tat battle of some sorts. Both teams were able to find opportunities to score, with one team getting a small lead which the other would then take away in a matter of few seconds. However, the Blue Eagles were able to gain a safe five-point lead after ten minutes, thanks to a last minute basket by Justin Chua.
The Blue Eagles threatened to blow the game early when the second unit continued their superb play, when Juami Tiongson extended the lead of the Blue Eagles to ten, 28-18. However, the Tamaraws weren't ready to give up yet, as RR Garcia and Aldrech Ramos led a furious rally that had them up 37-36 after the first half.
At this point, many would think that this would be similar to Season 73's Game 2, saying that it would be a gut-wrenching fight to the finish, where at the last minute it could be anybody's ball game. However, later on, Coach Norman Black would say that he held back the team's offense in the second quarter after getting that large lead, letting the players find their own groove in the offense while at the same time playing excellent defense. It was a wager, but nevertheless, it worked, because after the halftime break, the Blue Eagles surprised the Tamaraws by executing perfect screen-and-roll plays that allowed Kiefer Ravena and the rest of the Ateneo backcourt to find their spots or attack the basket. After Gonzaga's relentless attack to the basket that resulted into an and-one, the Tamaraws were in the same hole that they were in during the first game, staring at an eleven-point lead, a margin that the Blue Eagles would not want to relinquish as they enter the final minutes of the g ame.
The Tamaraws had a few attempts to crawl back into the game, with RR Garcia desperately finding ways to score against a tight Ateneo defense. But then, all was too much for them. Kiefer Ravena responded to Garcia's basket that trimmed the lead to ten, extending it back to fourteen, and the Tamaraws have been silent since then.
The last two minutes have been garbage time, with the Blue Eagles and the four-finger-flashing Ateneo supporters, composed of more than 70% of the Smart Araneta Coliseum crowd, just waiting for the final buzzer to sound . And when it came, there was a thunderous roar of celebration, as the Blue Eagles, led by Coach Norman Black, became the first team to win at least four straight championships, joining the ranks of the UST Growling Tigers under Coach Aric del Rosario, the DLSU Green Archers under Coach Franz Pumaren, and the UE Red Warriors under the legendary Coach Baby Dalupan.
The Blue Eagles finished off the Tamaraws without anything essentially new, and they utilized their one and only weapon against them: dynamic team play. They could have centered both their offense and defense on Slaughter and Ravena, but perhaps what surprised the Tamaraws, Coach Bert Flores specifically, was the way it was decentered during this final game.
Yes, it is true that the two newcomers, Greg Slaughter and Kiefer Ravena, became vital cogs in this run, but it was not theirs alone. Of course, there was the "third banana," Nico Salva, who, after a perfect offensive performance in the first game, came back with a splendid Kobe-esque performance in Game 2 to bag the Finals MVP Award. Emman Monfort and Kirk Long also gave headaches for the Tamaraws, especially when the pick and roll surprise was executed in the second half.
Lastly, the bench delivered the punch that the Sixth Men demanded from them. Tiongson astounded everyone with running jumpers and a quick corner three, finishing with 11 big points. Tonino Gonzaga, the team's epitome of burning passion to win, had an and-one play and a huge triple that put the Tams away for good during the third canto. Justin Chua effectively kept the FEU big men at bay, conquering the paint in his own way.
The Blue Eagles, in the end, were once again too much for the FEU Tamaraws. In the two Finals games, Coach Bert Flores threw everything against the Blue and White, even plugging in those whom he would not normally put in, such as Roger Pogoy, Clarence Foronda, and the injured Christian Sentcheu. The three-guard combination alongside Aldrech Ramos did not make things work in terms of the offense, as they threw in miss after miss, lucky enough to grab offensive boards and take their chances once again. Garcia and Ramos, however, put up a fight in the first half, showing the determination to survive, hoping that the two of them could force a rubber match. Apparently, their teammates did not join them well in their endeavors.
The FEU defense was just horrible, as the Tams were unable to hold on to their slim one-point lead in the third quarter. Still, they could not contain Slaughter, Ravena, and Salva altogether, and they even allowed the Ateneo bench to find their spots on the court. Their lack of ability to adjust their offensive and defensive plays became their downfall. And as we have seen, it was the same thing that happened during the second half., even with Coach Bert Flores admitting to Ateneo's near-perfect game.
The Tamaraws, together with the six other UAAP teams, will start the work of rebuilding, hoping that they can grab the crown that comfortably rests in Loyola Heights, now on its fourth year. Of course, the Blue Eagles will do just that after two weeks, when they enter the Unigames and wait for their PCCL matches. But now, they only have to celebrate and relish the blessing.
The Scores:
Ateneo 82 – Ravena 18, Salva 15, Slaughter 11, Tiongson 11, Monfort 9, Gonzaga 6, Long 5, Chua 5, Erram 2, Pessumal 0, Sumalinog 0, Golla 0, Austria 0
FEU 69 – Ramos 20, Garcia 16, Tolomia 7, Romeo 7, Escoto 4, Bringas 4, Exciminiano 4, Foronda 3, Cruz 2, Noundou 2, Pogoy 0, Mendoza 0, Knuttel 0
Quarter scoring: 23-18, 35-36, 57-45, 82-69
Credits to Fabilioh for the picture and Inboundpass for the box scores.
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