UAAP Finals- The Skinny.

He who wins the a battle of strategy, may triumph in any sort of battle with guns, spears, and swords.

Norman Black, 1, Bert Flores, 0.

So I was at the Big Dome for Game 1 of the UAAP Finals. Ateneo outplayed FEU and repelled the Tams' charge, 82-64 to come within a win away of a historic four consecutive UAAP crowns. The tide is high in Loyola Heights, but things don't go euphoric until the Eagles can win on the 27th, or, on the 31st.

I am somewhere in this picture- http://www.fabilioh.com/photos/main.php?g2_itemId=104933

Here's the skinny on how the Eagles managed to nab today's win:

*Playing to their Strengths- Ateneo's strengths lie in their size, team chemistry, team defense, and crisp ball movement, which lead to easy hoops. On a man for man basis, the Eagles don't have most talented offensive bunch, save maybe for Salva, Ravena, and Slaughter. Despite the presence of 3 players that can score in bunches, they still do what they do on the offensive end by committee. It's the hard hat work of guys like Gonzaga, Long, and Monfort, plus the discipline the boys in Blue show when moving the rock around that makes them so hard to neutralize once they're rolling. The same happens on defense. They put a premium on doing the little things- rotating quickly to their designated spots, not going for too many headfakes, knowing when to sag back, or slip forward. With Ateneo's deep bench, they can afford to change things up in a heartbeat. They can go big, extra large, small, or traditional on their foes. The Eagles suffocate opponents by going at them with relentless focus, rarely letting up and breaking the "team first" chain.

In the early stages of the match, the Blue side went on a 6-0 blast, only to be thwarted by the scorching hot shooting of Terence Romeo (didn't I say he would be the difference maker?). While Romeo scored 23 points, and Russel Escoto, 12, RR Garcia was held down to 6 points by fewer touches (due to Romeo's elevated play), and also because of defense-by-committee (Ravena, Monfort, Long) which shoved and bullied him off of his comfort zones (right side of the floor, corner court). Aldrech Ramos managed 9 points, but was a non factor in the second half, when the game was out of reach. The hero of the Adamson Final Four game, Mike Tolomia, silently chalked up 5 points, also stifled by a 3-2 zone which kept FEU's perimeter sets roped up.

In the first period, Norman Black played to the Tamaraws' strengths, by going small and starting Slaughter, Salva, Monfort, Long, and Ravena. This five often found itself left in the dust by the guards of FEU who constantly cut around screens and FEU's bigs who shot jumpers with ease (the 2007 Dallas Mavericks did something similar with the Golden State Warriors in the Round 1 NBA Playoff tiff; the Mavs lost in 6 games). Greg Slaughter often found himself having to cope up with having to sprint back from far out of the shaded lane because of Ateneo's extended zone. Instead of playing modified, "small ball", and allowing the Morayta boys to dictate the tempo, Ateneo made adjustments by rotating a number of bigger men to join Slaughter, hence leaving the Tamaraws struggling to keep up with the Eagles muscle inside and strength on perimeter covers. This move also allowed Greg Slaughter to hold court in the paint without having to jog into the yellow ocean to watch smaller guys run circles around him. Discombobulation, eradicated.

Shows you how minor tweaks can go a long way in determining whether a team can rally back from adversity and win the whole Kahuna.

*JP Erram- How does a guy who scores 4 points and tallies 1 shot block change the complexion of a ballgame? I'd say that such can be achieved by being at the proper place, at the proper time.

I had been waiting on when Norman Black would use Erram, a 3rd year AB Interdisciplinary Studies major, in a critical Finals game. His time came today at around 5 past the hour of four in the afternoon.

After FEU ran roughshod on Ateneo's lack of length and foot speed on the perimeter, Erram assisted in disrupting the Tams' flow by using his long arms and quickness to give Ateneo's D a much needed jolt. With him in the lineup, the 3 time champs looked more athletic, and envigorated. The smaller guys like Austria and Long had more faith in gambling on sagging forward towards their defender, because of the fact that a fleet footed Erram could sag out of the paint, and back in to assert his will, quicker than a Frank Golla or Greg Slaughter could. #10's entry signaled the onset of Ateneo's vaunted championship defense.

On offense, Erram's presence made screen and rolls, give and go's, and forays to the hole more feasible because of his steady read of when and how a switch should be done, when a rebound should be vied for, and how to box out successfully simply by being the guy with the best timing- not necessarily the biggest physique. All in all, despite the offensive prowess of some other Ateneans, Erram was today's firestarter for the Hail Mary Squad. His exploits opened up avenues for Game 1 to be turned upside down.

*Nico Salva's Jordanesque performance- 24 points, patience on offense, flawless foul shooting, a flawless field goal slate, and a bevy of midrange moves that made me see glimpses of a young Alvin Patrimonio. His game today was Jordanesque, by brilliant when his team needed him most. The 4th year man was fed, and fed, and fed again via a combination of well-postured passes and picks, and against slower defenders, he managed to use his speed to dominate the slashing lanes with a variety of floaters, layups, and wily moves that drew foul, after foul, after foul.

His slam dunk in transition in the 2nd half also helped shatter the Tams' spirits from a morale standpoint. And oh, have I mentioned that this fellow's got rabid fans and has been mentioned in newspaper articles as the "next Atenean to be destined for showbusiness after Chris Tiu" Under the bright lights, Salva has been grace under pressure. The ball he played today was indeed beautiful to watch, regardless of whose side you're on.

*FEU's limited offensive options- This team lives and dies on the perimeter. Pick and pop, pick and pop, pick and pop. Not much else after that sometimes. What JP Erram did today was part of what Ateneo mentor Norman Black described in his postgame remarks to be his strategy in working to neutralize the Tams' strongest (and maybe, only) weapon. Black's plan worked, and FEU Tamaraws looked more like deers in the proverbial headlights.

It does make sense to play to one's strengths, but, in this case, why not change things up a bit? Why not call more plays for Aldrech Ramos instead of going to the FEU wing men too much? Why not get Escoto more involved in more of an Amare Stoudamire-main man kind of way instead of a Shawn Marion-in Phoenix-in-the-background sort of way?

The yellow and green's propensity to put all their eggs in one basket has cost them. They must tweak their offensive game plan, lest they let another Finals appearance slip by them sans a crown.

*Greg Slaughter's size- Need I say more?

The giant, formerly of the University of Visayas Lancers, has kept defenses honest the whole season. Double him, and potentially suffer a Nico Salva jumper. Give him single coverage, and run the risk of him scoring on a hook shot, dunk, or short jumper deep in the paint. He is still a little rough around the edges: he could use work on lateral movement, and his ball sense (ball staying up when he's in the post, minimizing dribbles, and his discipline with regards to staying in his designated defensive zones). Despite the chinks in his armor, he moves decently for a man his size, and has, literally and figuratively, stood tall over the competition in this year's UAAP. His presence in the shaded lane alone has necessitated major gameplan changes for opposing coaches. His towering stature has forced FEU even more to depend on their pick and roll, jump shot heavy offense. Unless the Tams shoot 50% or better, their necks might as well be dinner rolls with fine steak n' wine right now.

It's scary to think how much better Slaughter might be once he hits the peak of his collegiate career. Norman Black's had a history of making stars out of his big men, and this Visayan is his next, solid gold, project.

*MIA: Karl Bryan Cruz and Roger Pogoy- They played a lot of minutes, didn't space the floor with their midrange pops and rebounding. Calling Messieurs Pogoy and Cruz, your team needs you to help keep the stress off of RR, Terence, and Aldrech. May day, may day.

And so it goes. Will Ateneo De Manila go full speed ahead towards title number 4, or, will FEU make a series of it?

Tuesday is but 3 days away- and anything CAN STILL happen.

MC