nickobe and the cut-throat (photo source)
three points on the the blue eagles' trampling of the feu tamaraws in game 1 of the uaap finals. though i was not able to watch the game live, i managed to download a copy of game 1 in the internet.
there can only be one phenom (photo source)
1. 3rd quarter storm. for the past three years, the ateneo de manila blue eagles have used halftime breaks as leverage to pull off adjustments and eventually pull away from the game on a 3rd quarter surge. coach norman black and his coaching staff are able to dissect an opposing team's patterns in the first half and make the necessary adjustments that are quite effective enough to either erase a big lead or sprint away to win the game. with nico salva (my pick for the most improved player this season, and hopefully finals mvp) playing a perfect 8/8 in both the field and the charity stripe and enough support from three other eagles in double figures (17 points from kiefer ravena, 12 points from greg slaughter, and 11 points from emman monfort), the kings of the sky had a blistering 60% field goal shooting in this game, enough to build a lead too big for the tamaraws to upend.
saan ka pupunta?! buhay ka pa! (photo source)
2. shut them down. despite terrence romeo not "doing a romeo" this game (23 points on 10/15 2pt fgs and 1/4 3pt fgs), ateneo was able to shut down reigning mvp rr garcia down the stretch, limiting him to just 6 points in a forgettable 3/15 from the field. though there were stretches in the game when "rookie" russel escoto gave a scare to the blue and white, the blue eagles' suffocating defense limited the production of the tamaraws' key players like aldrech ramos (9 points) and cris tolomia (5 points). this was the key to this game: limit the scoring load to one person, let him be trigger happy, and shut everyone else down. as long as ateneo keeps playing tremendous defense on feu, a fourth championship is always on target.
one game at a time (photo source)
3. one more. with a win away from a four-peat, ateneo cannot just let their guard down. the blue eagles have to remain hungry and dangerous and finish this series on tuesday. it was interesting to see coach norman tinker with his line-up, especially with the minutes given to juami tiongson and "secret weapon" jp erram. expect the tamaraws to make key adjustments in the second game and try to get their groove back, especially the duo of rr garcia and aldrech ramos. originally, i predicted the blue eagles to win the series in close margins, but with this kind of desire in their eyes, it is not impossible to see another blowout this tuesday at the expense of the tamaraws. the team cannot be complacent though as winning game 1 only means that half the work has been done. as long as the team remains focused on its goal and executes the plays in both offense and defense, we might witness the fourth consecutive title raised high by the blue and white.
BLUE EAGLE, THE KING!
slaughter the tams (photo source)
last shot. if there is one person in the blue and white that i miss this season, it has to be you.
Ateneo 82 – Salva 24, Ravena 17, Slaughter 12, Monfort 11, Long 8, Erram 4, Tiongson 4, Chua 2, Gonzaga 0, Golla 0, Austria 0
FEU 64 – Romeo 23, Escoto 12, Ramos 9, Garcia 6, Exciminiano 6, Tolomia 5, Pogoy 2, Cruz 1, Sentcheu 0, Bringas 0
Quarter scoring: 14-19, 33-33, 60-49, 82-64
credits to inboundpass and adrian dy (chinoy hoops fan) for the stats
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