6 Points: AdMU vs. NU (Round 1)

Ateneo 54, National U 64

-If the bunch of new faces, the coach included, are already matters to be concerned about as five-time champions, then having the Blue Eagles' star player and number one option out of opening day just made things way worse than before. It is true that during the Fil-Oil Preseason Tournament, the Blue Eagles seem to run like a well-oiled machine, coping with Coach Bo Perasol's system and keeping up despite the lack of a legitimate big man (especially now that six of the other seven teams made use of foreign players to take care of the paint). However, the UAAP is different, and with Kiefer Ravena out (but eventually played almost-useless minutes in the first half), the Blue Eagles were forced to make game-time adjustments. And faced against an experienced basketball team that hungrily wants desires revenge, Ateneo ended up relying on their gutsy effort to at least eke out a decent loss after having been left behind as early as the third quarter.

-One glaring fact is that Ateneo missed 52 of their 72 shots in the game, most of them from the outside, not just a clear effect of Ravena's absence, but the dismal shooting effort of the supposed snipers of the team (Tiongson, Pessumal, et al., not to mention that rookies Anton Asistio and Earl Murphy have not played). The team has missed a lot of open three-point shots that, had they made three or four more, could have made this a close game. Except a few mishaps in the paint as well as the failure to give up offensive boards, one could point that the Blue Eagles have played relatively good defense, as they were able to contain NU's perimeter shooters (but unfortunately at the expense of having Jean Mbe torch the team from the inside and Denice Villamor getting good looks from beyond the arc) and gave Rayray Parks a hard time driving down the lane. However, it could have been better had the offense been present.

-During the first quarter, the Blue Eagles just trailed the Bulldogs by 2 points, and by halftime, it blew to 12. Everyone was expecting the famous "third quarter storm" to happen, but unfortunately, it turned to a nightmare as the team experienced everything going really bad: they were missing shots, turned the ball over, and gave space for NU's offense to operate.The lead then went as big as 16 in the third, and even got to 24 in the fourth. It's quite unfortunate that Nico Elorde and Juami Tiongson found their touch beyond the arc at an inopportune time, just when the Bulldogs would almost seal the win. Hopefully, adjustments on offense would come up, whether Ravena would be there or not. The middle quarters was Ateneo's fort to hold during the past two seasons, and it should remain to be despite these changes.

-No doubt, Chris Newsome and Ryan Buenafe were the keys to Ateneo's offense in this game. The former has already shown what he can do: shoot from the outside, sink those perimeter baskets, and own opponents during isolation sets (that dunk Rayray Parks, had it gotten in, could have been poster material); however, it seems that he has not gotten inside the basket too frequently during the second and third quarters, saving those dribble-drives unfortunately in the almost-garbage fourth quarter. Ryan Buenafe, on the other hand, resorted instead to chucking bad threes, perhaps finding it difficult to do his usual drive-and-dish stuff. However, it is clear that alongside Ravena, they will be the Blue Eagles' penetration players, with JP Erram and Frank Golla doing the screens and managing the post. While for the rest, hopefully they can create shots and make themselves available for short stabs and perimeter jumpers to add additional spark. After all, they were able to do it during the Fil-Oil tournament.

-If there's something that can be said about the NU Bulldogs in their first game, it's the fact that they looked to be a dominant bunch. Parks has been in his usual self, while Mbe already had the confidence to man the paint given that no one except Golla or Erram could contain him. The confidence in offense that both of these  directly contributed to the extra effort that their teammates have exerted, among them Villamor and Gelo Alolino. That precisely is the reason why they left Ateneo behind as early as third quarter, and with the Blue Eagles finding a way to a probable upset, Parks hit a three to silence the Sixth Men, which is perhaps a statement that the league will soon be their own.

-With the FEU Tamaraws waiting for the next game, the Blue Eagles have a day or two to do serious adjustments and let Ravena recover. A lot of glaring mishaps and rooms for improvement have already been brought out in the first game, and it would be interesting to see how Coach Perasol would respond to these.

The Scores:

NU 64 - Parks 22, Mbe 14, Villamor 13, Javillonar  5, Alolino 4, Rosario 2, Khobuntin 2, Alejandro 2, Rono 0, De Guzman 0

Ateneo 54 - Tiongson 13, Elorde 10, Buenafe 10, Newsome 9, Erram 4, Ravena 2, Pessumal 2, Golla 2, Capacio 2, Tolentino 0, Babilonia 0


Quarter scores: 15-10, 33-21, 48-32, 64-54

Credits to the Fil-Oil Flying V Facebook Page for the pic, GMA Sports for the box.

Game Notes: AdMU vs. DLSU (2013 Fil-Oil Flying V Preseason Tournament)

Ateneo 78, De La Salle 70

-As preseason games have always been, this Fil-Oil game does not even reveal anything about the performance of both teams when the 76th Season of the UAAP comes. Clearly, the Blue Eagles are not even at their tournament form, having 5 or so players recovering from an injury (with big man Kris Porter unfortunately out for the season). And while DLSU have all the talent in their favor, playing with a "complete" roster sans playmaker L.A. Revilla, it's evident that they are far from being the perfect team that fans in green expected them to be. But this is a fair way of putting the talents of both teams against each other, considering that while the Green Archers have been stockpiling talents ever since the end of Season 75, the Blue Eagles, fresh from their fifth straight championship, start things again with a new coach and a relatively new team. This time, the Blue Eagles finally won against their rivals in the preseason tournament, after not having done so in the past four years (and managing to snag the UAAP championship later on... is there a coincidence? If so, what does this win tell?).

-Kiefer Ravena might just as well take the name "King Eagle" and own it for the next three years of his basketball career. With a quite scattered offense in a game where the blue eagles played open court offense, Ravena found his sweet spots, posted his defenders, and shoot deadly shake-and-bake fadeaway Js en route to 31 big points. And in a new team that needs its old members to step up and play big, he might just be the man that the Blue Eagles would need in the long season ahead. After all, it's about time for him to relive the Blue Eaglets days and carry the team on his back.

-Fifth year big man Frank Golla came out as a revelation in this game, as he was able to nail midrange jumper after midrange jumper, ending up with 14 big points on 7 of 9 field goal shooting. In the past four years of Golla's career with the Blue Eagles save for the 2010 season, he has played with talented bigs and has only ended up with a minor bench role. But now that the team needs someone big and tall to do the dirty job in the paint, the fifth year forward/center has stepped up and played smart basketball. He drew hard picks, rolled to the elbow, position on the top of the key, and nail easy jumpers. This came out quite late, but at least the Blue Eagles have someone other than Poy Erram to not only slug it out in the boards but also come out big on offense.

-This game also shows how the Green Archers are still "unprepared," despite the plethora of talent that they have. Having taller players, Coach Gee Abanilla could have set the offense up from the high and low post, but they opted to settle for kick outs and quick jumpers courtesy of gunner Almond Vosotros, because Jason Perkins, Arnold Van Opstal, and even Jeron Teng cannot (surprisingly) convert easy baskets from a small but quick Ateneo lineup. They also have turned the ball over several times, especially when trying to bring the ball down low, not to mention that a backcourt squad with considerable height advantage (think Robert Bolick) could not match up with Ateneo's small ball. And with their shots clanking in and out only to result in an easy Ateneo basket, it seems that it was a very unfortunate day for the Gang Green, and would need serious readjustments entering into the UAAP season.

-After this win against the Green Archers, the Blue Eagles have opted to pull out of the Fil-Oil Preseason Tournament, citing injuries as reasons for them to discontinue. And perhaps it is just fair for the Blue Eagles to do just that, considering that they already had a quick dose of what Season 76 will offer to them, including their training at the States. After all, the most important games would not come until the 29th of June, once the new season opens.

The Scores:

Ateneo 78 – Ravena 31, Tiongson 15, Golla 12, Asistio 6, Tolentino 5, Newsome 4, Elorde 3, Buenafe 2, Murphy 0, Lim 0

De La Salle 70 – Perkins 15, Vosotros 14, Teng 14, Torres 9, Van Opstal 9, Torres 7, Dela Paz 2, Bolick 0, Tampus 0, Salem 0


Quarter scoring: 24-15, 42-33, 63-51, 78-70

Credits to the Fil-Oil Flying V Facebook page for the photo and GMANetwork.com for the box.

P&G Game 60: vs. Atlanta Hawks

After the All-Star game and Dr. Jerry Buss's death, the Kobe Bryant-led Lakers started to crawl back to the West's top eight, and the first step that they have accomplished is to reach the .500 mark, an achievement which came at the expense of the Atlanta Hawks. The Lakers have led as much as 18 points in the third quarter, but a late Hawks surge gave L.A. fans the chills when the game went tit-for-tat during the last two minutes. However, Kobe Bryant, being a person of his own word, finished the Hawks off by a monstrous dunk and a game-winning layup, resulting in a 99-98 Lakers win.

Yay of the Game: 

15-10: Steve Nash's points and assists for the game. A lot of critics have been saying that Nash's new role in this new-look Lakers is a big mistake. However, this time, the former Phoenix Suns point guard took care of facilitating while Kobe finishes the plays.

Nay of the Game:

21: The number of Laker turnovers this game. This isn't a new thing, but for someone who wants to make the playoffs, this is something that should be avoided.

Play of the Game:

How old is Kobe Bryant again? He looked like his 17-year old self when he slammed one home against Josh Smith, of all people.


The Lakers Are Now At:

30-30 (3rd Pacific, 9th West). The Oklahoma City Thunder are going to be next off the Lakers' list, and if Kobe Bryant can replicate his 14-assist performance, then it should be a close game.

Highlights:

The Purple & Gold Midterm Report

The All-Star break has already gone by, and as usual, the weekend would not be complete without any highlight from the Lakers stars, especially Kobe Bryant who, along with All-Star MVP Chris Paul, to lead the West to their third straight victory. But after all the fun and games, the Lakers have to go back to business and face the hard times that are ahead of them. Just how did they perform during their past 44 games which led them to this miserable (as the fans put it) position?

To answer this question, presenting:

THE PURPLE AND GOLD REPORT CARD

I. Player Development

-Kobe Bryant declared before the start of the season that the team is his for leading, that he is going to be the one to lead the Lakers to another appearance and consequently to another championship, as Lakers fans have looked forward to after the big offseason acquisition. However, when he says such, it might not mean that he is going to be the one to take the shots and chuck it up to his teammates, or so he says just when the Lakers have dug themselves up a hole as the year 2013 came. The misery that the Lakers have faced has forced him to shift his role from primary scorer (which isn't really effective) to a passer and a facilitator. And surprisingly, things have been relatively better for the Lakers. Sure, the team has not yet gotten a fairly good win streak, but they continue to chase for the eighth spot of the Western Conference, and is now closer to crossing the .500 mark.

-Dwight Howard has been the receiving end of praises and hopes for the team, with even Kobe and GM Mitch Kupchak declaring him to be the next big thing for the Lakers. However, as with the Lakers' win record, things didn't turn out so well for the young center. Still on the verge of recovering from his back injury last season, he injured his right shoulder, aggravated in multiple instances, which gravely affected his performance. Worse, it seems that he's only a shadow of his former self, as he was having difficulty adjusting to coach Mike D'Antoni's system and with Bryant's way of dealing with the game, less with the on-court than with the off-court. He's expected to initiate the perfect screen and roll plays, but so far he has done not so much. And even worse than that, he's still not willing to commit to the Lakers until the end of the regular season, which suggests that, knowing his value, he might take his talents somewhere, and rumors have been spreading around that during the All-Star Weekend, he's been telling everyone around that he's interested to join the Brooklyn Nets. With no assurance to hang on to, the Lakers and its fans are certainly treading on a dark road downhill, not even a trace of the light at the end of the tunnel insofar as Howard is concerned.

-Steve Nash has also stopped being Steve Nash, as his assist figures have dipped significantly compared to his performance with the Suns. In Mike D'Antoni's days with the Suns, Steve Nash has been the one who was holding the ball for most of the time, waiting for the perfect moment to dish out a perfect pass. But with Bryant sharing the ball with him, he became more of a spot-up shooter in the early days of January. However, it seems that Nash has been back on track during the past few games before the All-Star Break. 

-Earl Clark has been compared to Trevor Ariza and Shannon Brown in such a way that he emerges as the surprise chip who can contribute a lot to the team. Placed in the starting lineup during mid-January, he has exceeded the expectations not just of the Lakers fans but even of Mike D'Antoni. He is a perfect fit in the system insofar as he is able to swish in those wing jumpers when opponents clog the post, receive passes from Kobe for quick dunks, and finish fastbreak plays, despite being a defensive liability. Given the space and the opportunity, he can grow and be an offensive weapon, but what is of more importance is his ability to defend one-on-one and help Howard guard the post. 

-Metta World Peace, to say the least, has improved offensively this season, as he has been on the receiving end of three-pointers which he can calmly sink even with a defender in front of him.However, what is asked of him is to bring back the grit that won him Defensive Player of the Year honors almost a decade ago. Plus, consistency in shooting (and even selecting the right spots to shoot) has been an issue these past 46 games or so, and thus the need to work on that, too.

-The Bench:

So far, only four people from the bench have been significant contributors for the Lakers this season. Pau Gasol has been largely inconsistent this season, but his move from the bench has made him play better, find the spots where he is comfortable, and dominate the paint... until he tore his plantar fascia which will keep him out for six weeks or so. Both Jodie Meeks and Antawn Jamison have proven themselves to be viable replacements when the big four plus one need some rest, but they are largely inconsistent and would need to establish themselves as legitimate offensive threats.Steve Blake, on the other hand, earns his minutes mainly due to necessity, because he knows all too well how to play with Kobe and Metta, but more importantly, he is a better option that either Chris Duhon or Darius Morris, who has not done anything significant as of the moment. 

II.Coaching and Team Chemistry

Despite the abundance of stars and offensive options in the team, it seems that Coach Mike D'Antoni has not yet found the perfect formulae for a playoff appearance. Up until the first half, the former Phoenix Suns coach who made the Seven-Seconds-Or-Less offense famous have been struggling to fit players into his system, rather than the other way around. He experimented with three-guard combos (Nash-Morris-Bryant), put World Peace at the four, and benched Pau Gasol because he cannot co-exist with Howard in the system. Perhaps it was by chance that he found Earl Clark as a valid starting four, and things seem to have gotten a bit better, considering the new roles Bryant, Nash, and Howard have put up for themselves. However, looking at the big picture, it looks like the Lakers have their players finding ways to survive by embracing their new roles, veering away from the rigid system that former Coach Phil Jackson has established and Coach Mike Brown has continued. Things took a drastic turnaround for the Lakers, but so far, nothing's still working.

III.Best and Worst Matches

Best Win: After being crushed twice by the Western Conference champions, the new-look Lakers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 104-95, with Kobe dishing out 14 big assists.

Worst win: The first match against the Charlotte Bobcats should be easy, but it still took a crucial block from Dwight Howard during the Bobcats' last possession for the Lakers to win the game, 101-100.

Best loss: After firing Coach Mike Brown, Bernie Bickerstaff was named interim coach before the arrival of Mike D'Antoni, and one of their biggest matches during that period was against the San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers held on to a slim lead until the fourth quarter, but they were not able to seal the game as Danny Green shot a big three over Kobe Bryant to seal the game in the Spurs' favor, 82-84.

Worst loss: The Lakers began their Grammy road trip with a match against Steve Nash's former team, the Phoenix Suns. The Purple and Gold led by as much as 18 points, but broke down during the fourth quarter. Thanks to reserve Michael Beasley, the Suns won this game, 92-86, and broke the Lakers' hopes of actually getting a long winning streak to put them above Utah and Houston, two teams that are in the 7th and 8th places respectively in the Western Conference. Worse, Dwight Howard aggravated his shoulder injury, leaving Gasol to man the post for the rest of the game.

MIDSEASON Grade: C

Points for Improvement and Recommendations:

• There will only aspect of the game which the Lakers have to take seriously: their chemistry. There is no doubt that the individuals of the team are great, even when we speak outside of Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, and Dwight Howard, who are perfect one-on-one players. However, the problem remains the same all season long: the pieces cannot mold themselves into cohesive unit. There could have been improvements when Bryant decided to distribute the ball more, but almost everyone has still not found the perfect spots and areas where they can be a threat to opponents. This is precisely what the Lakers need to improve on, before everything will be too late and we'll see the most important pieces, Dwight Howard especially, leaving the team.

•  Perhaps, another thing to take note of is the fact that the Lakers actually can win should be the collective and individual mentality of everyone concerned; however, what is of utmost importance here is also the imperative to play seriously as if each game is the last. Bryant, now in the last two years of the career, certainly feels this urgency, and so is Nash, but Howard seems to not be in sync with these two. The problem with Dwight Howard is not that he's been gravely disturbed by the injuries that he is recovering from; rather, it's that he seems to not have adjusted to the way the Los Angeles Lakers have been dealing with basketball in all its 60-plus years of existence: serious on-court business. Perhaps he has to accept that he is in a team that always pressures itself to win the championship, not just by his teammates, but the whole community and fanbase of the Lakers, from the blogger to the departed Dr. Jerry Buss himself. Once he accepts that he has a crucial role and there is no time for the  inessential, then it would only be then where he would be, in the most real sense of the word, a Laker.

P&G Game 22: vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Things have gotten worse. There was no Nash, Blake, and Gasol playing for the Lakers, and Kobe and Dwight found it too much to handle, as another duo shone that night: Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao stepped up for the Cavaliers and gave the Lakers a 100-94 beating on the purple and gold's first of four road trips, sinking them further away from the .500 mark that they used to have just a week ago.

Yay of the Game:

42: Kobe's final score in the game, making 16 out of his 28 shots, which came alongside 5 boards and 2 dimes. Though it may be good that Kobe seems to be the only one stepping up in this depleted Laker squad, the Lakers are 1-10 when Kobe scores 30 or more.

Nay of the Game:

2: Number of points all the Lakers' PGs have combined (none for Morris, a basket for Duhon). Looks like the one spot is going to be a big problem for the Lakers, as the Steves have not yet been cleared to play.

Play of the Game:

Let's just settle and be consoled that Kobe, a 16-year pro, can still take on sophomore Kyrie Irving:


The Lakers Are Now At:

9-13 (3rd Pacific, 12th West). Lakers fans would sure want the nightmare to be over, but with the New York Knicks around, it seems that the worse is yet to come.

P&G Game 16: vs. Denver Nuggets

After that awful loss against the Indiana Pacers highlighted by a lot of missed free throws, a sick Kobe Bryant scoring 40, and a George Hill layup, the Lakers broke even and once again reached .500 as they trounced upon the Denver Nuggets, 122-103.

Yay of the Game:

17-33: the total number of threepointers the Lakers made and attempted. Reserve G Jodie Meeks led the assault from beyond the ark, making 7 of 9 markers, and together with Antawn Jamison, scored 54 points overall (Jamison scored 33 of those, making him the only bench reserve to get at least 30 points since Shaquille O'Neal did it in the late '90s). The Lakers have played well all over, making 33 of their 47 shots off assists, with the Mamba himself having 8 of those precious dimes.

Nay of the Game:

3-1-3: Darius Morris' points, rebounds, and assists. Morris has been the starting one since the Steves were out, but he was largely inconsistent during that stretch. Could he finally be dethroned by veteran guard Chris Duhon, who got 5 points and 8 assists this game?

Play of the Game:

Last year, Andrew Bynum failed to hit a three-pointer. But early this season, Dwight Howard hit his own.


The Lakers Are Now At:
8-8 (3rd Pacific, 7th West). The Purple & Gold will have to face the Orlando Magic next. Will Dwight Howard show his team that he has since moved on?


Highlights:

P&G Game 14: vs. Dallas Mavericks

After losing two straight games against the Sacramento Kings and the Memphis Grizzlies, the Lakers got their first road win against the team that handed them their first loss of the season. They scored 65 points in the first half to secure a big lead against the Dallas Mavericks, 115-89.

Yay of the Game:

19-15: Reserve forward Antawn Jamison's points and rebounds in this game, in 30 minutes of action. Jamison has been getting D'Antoni's nod since their last game against Memphis, and Lakers fans can only hope that he gets it going once Steve Nash returns and Dwight Howard is at his 100%. Lamar Odom, are you seeing this?

Nay of the Game:

7: Dwight Howard's rebounds, which is awful for someone who can consistently get a double-double. The Superman has not been getting touches for the last three games, and we wonder how he is going to assert himself once again in the league. However, he's not at his best yet, so expect more from him in the days to come.

Play of the Game:

Pau Gasol might be playing awfully for the Lakers in these past games, but here's one of those nifty plays that he does as a setting big man. Drive, dish, and let Dwight finish it.



The Lakers Are Now At:

7-7 (3rd Pacific, 8th West). The Purple & Gold have just finished their road trip by returning to the .500, and hopefully the streak continues as they face Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert's Indiana Pacers. Can they finally build a winning streak?

Highlights: