Accent on defense

Accent on defense
SPORTING CHANCE By Joaquin M. Henson
Wednesday, February 6, 2008

It’s defense that’s making the difference in both semifinal series of the PBA Philippine Cup as the four teams left in contention brace for crucial tiebreakers tonight.

The intriguing thing about the two series is they’re similarly deadlocked. You know how important Game 5 is in a best-of-seven series that’s tied at two wins apiece. The team that wins Game 5 gains a twice-to-beat advantage entering Game 6 and in a series that’s a you-or-me situation, the edge is enormous. It’s like getting a foot in the door of the finals because the pressure is on the other team to win two in a row.

Alaska and Sta. Lucia Realty are in dogfight. The Aces took Game 1, 107-94, then lost two in a row, 86-77 and 91-82, before bouncing back to win Game 4, 93-80, last Sunday.

Reynel Hugnatan’s presence is key to coach Tim Cone’s chances. In Game 2, the burly forward hurt his right meniscus in the second period, limped back to the bench with just two points and never checked back in. He sat out Game 3 which the Realtors took by nine behind a 51-47 edge in boards.

Hugnatan was back in harness for Game 4, delivered 18 points and lifted Alaska to victory. Cone must be alarmed that one player can dictate the fortunes of his team. John Ferriols tried to pick up the slack in Game 3 and produced 17 points but the Aces are so much more formidable with Hugnatan and Tisoy, not just one of them, in the lineup.

Willie Miller is Cone’s smokingest gun, not just in this series but all conference long. The Thriller and James Yap are the only players in the league to score double figures in every game. That’s a testament to their consistency. King James, by the way, came dangerously close to leaving Miller as the last man standing when he was held to 11 points in Game 1 and 10 in Game 4 of the Purefoods’ semifinal series against Red Bull.

It’s no wonder that Miller and Yap are the PBA’s last two MVPs.

The watermark in the Alaska-Sta. Lucia series is field goal percentage. The team that hits less than 40 percent is likely to lose because it means the defense is working. In Game 3, the Realtors shot .452 from the floor and Alaska, .370. In Game 4, it was the other way around as Alaska hit .472 and Sta. Lucia, .346.

Another watermark is rebounding. In Game 3, Sta. Lucia grabbed more boards, 51-47. In Game 4, Alaska had the edge, 51-42.

For the Realtors, coach Boyet Fernandez’ chief weapon is Kelly Williams who hasn’t scored less than 21 the entire series. But it’s clear that for Sta. Lucia to win, Williams will need firepower back-up. In the two semifinal games that Sta. Lucia lost, only three Realtors shot in twin digits. In the two Sta. Lucia won, four Realtors were in double figures.

Rookie Ryan Reyes is the man Fernandez is waiting to explode in the semis. He has been relatively quiet, scoring in double figures only once – in Game 2 which Sta. Lucia won.

In Game 4, Dennis Espino and Bitoy Omolon were held way below their clips as Alaska’s defense held its ground. Espino finished with only seven points and Omolon, six. Remember that the pair combined for 19 points in Game 2 and 31 in Game 3 – both of which the Realtors with plenty to spare.

In the other series, the ride has been like a pendulum with Red Bull and Purefoods alternating wins. Purefoods drew first blood, 103-84. The Barakos returned the favor, 93-89, in Game 2. Then, the Giants rebounded to bag Game 3, 99-90. Red Bull evened it up, 97-88, in Game 4.

The trend shows that the team with less turnovers has won every game in the series so far, an indication of influence. It was strikingly evident in Game 4 where Purefoods crashed with 19 turnovers and Red Bull picked up only 11, translating into 22 points for the Barakos compared to nine for the Giants. Because Red Bull was more in the flow (the turnovers wreaked havoc on Purefoods’ rhythm), the Barakos collected more assists, 23-13, as their execution was much more precise.

It didn’t help Purefoods that the Giants compiled 32 fouls and gave up 35 free throws. Red Bull took advantage of Purefoods’ inability to control its fouls by converting 28 foul shots compared to the Giants’ 16. The margin of victory in the end was nine.

King James’ absence in the last three periods was a telling blow. With Yap languishing on the bench, Kerby Raymundo desperately tried to pick up the cudgels but found the sailing too rough. The Aces clamped down on the Kid and took it from there.

The remarkable thing is how Red Bull has managed to stay in the thick of the fight game in, game out despite a glaring lack of dominating presence in the interior. Mick Pennisi is not a post threat – he’s more dangerous playing outside where he can draw his defender away from the paint. Carlo Sharma and Paolo Bugia haven’t scored in double figures since the start of the quarterfinals. Mark Andaya hasn’t even played a game in the semis and Mike (Radar) Hrabak is more of a spot-up three-point shooter.

In fact, Red Bull was badly outrebounded in Game 2 to the tune of 51-37 and in Game 4, 60-41. But guess what? The Barakos won both encounters despite the mauling off the boards. It’s a tribute to Red Bull’s resiliency and Guiao’s coaching genius that somehow, the Barakos have been able to find a way to tie the series without a post threat.

Source: http://philstar.com/index.php?Sports&p=49&type=2&sec=30&aid=20080205127