by rick olivares pic by brosi gonzales
It’s ironic that Air21
head coach Franz Pumaren mentioned that it is the 25th anniversary
of the grand slam year of his old San Miguel ballclub. When Pumaren and his SMB
teammates entered the PBA in the Open Conference of 1986, they won only two
matches against 10 losses finishing at the bottom of the seven-team standings.
The Cheesemakers had talent as they brought up that Northern Consolidated
Cement team (of former college stars and national teamers) minus the
naturalized players to the pro league but in that first conference, they were
clearly going through a period of adjustment.
The next season, they
finished third in two of the four tournaments played that year (there was a
very short invitational tourney). By 1988, they had won two conference
championships signifying their ascent to the top. Then in 1989 came the grand
slam.
When Pumaren returned to
the PBA, this time as head coach of Shopinas during the 2011-12 season, his
team didn’t seem to have a clue as they went 0-14. That must have been déjà vu
for the coach as his team of former college stars struggled to find their
chemistry, rhythm, and game.
During the 2011-12 season,
his team finished 5-27. He lost more games in one year in the PBA than during
his eight years in the UAAP coaching La Salle (not counting those seasons where
the matches were forfeited for player ineligibility) combined.
There was marked
improvement during the 2012-13 season when Air21 went 14-25. There were two quarterfinals
appearances last season and this year, his team looks to have finally found
that groove. They aren’t all-league beaters like Pumaren’s old SMB teams were –
yet -- but they are battling opponents tooth and nail. The Express are no
longer an automatic win for foes.
Playing the returning San
Miguel Beer (after a stint as the Petron Blaze Boosters) in the quarterfinals
of the Commissioner’s Cup gives Coach Franz this odd vibe. Especially since
he’s trying to spoil the anniversary of the Beermen’s grand slam by advancing –
if possible – the campaign of Air21.
The Express finally won a
playoff game by upending SMB, 92-79, in their quarterfinals match-up, last
April 22 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, negating the Beermen’s twice-to-beat
advantage. And what a match it was.
Air21’s 1st Quarter storm where the Express played relentless
and aggressive basketball for nearly the entire game.
Air21 jumped on SMB from
the opening tip. Eliud Poligrates, a coup for this club as he was freed from
Talk ‘N Text, dictated the frenetic play by fearlessly attacking the basket and
being aggressive against counterpart Chris Ross.
SMB’s point guard was so
flustered and harried that he committed seven turnovers to his eight assists.
You know that you’re
getting aggressive play from Asi Taulava and with Poligrates playing the same
way, it was infectious for Air21. They double-teamed JuneMar Fajardo and got
him into early foul trouble.
Stopping SMB’s dribble-drive offense
When Ross or Sol Mercado
drove inside the lane, they were funneled towards the big man with another
defender sliding in to prevent the drop pass. When the SMB guards kicked the
ball out, they were missing shots.
The inevitable SMB comeback
SMB began to come back
late in the first period when their coaching staff had import Kevin Jones
playing inside more (17 points from the last two minutes of the first period
all the way to the second quarter) with Fajardo saddled with fouls and
relatively ineffective. They preferred the uptempo pace, something that suits
players like Marcio Lassiter, Chris Lutz, and Mercado.
With Jones almost unstoppable
inside that opened up the perimeter for SMB’s players.
Furthermore, Air21 was a
little slower in their defensive rotations allowing the Beermen better looks
from the outside and the perimeter.
Case in point: at the 1:48
mark of the 1st period and the score at 26-12 for Air21, Mercado was
spotted for an open three. Jonas Villanueva was a second late in rotating out
to Mercado who hit the triple.
During SMB’s next
possession, Lutz found Jones for an and-one inside. Then Mercado closed out an
8-3 run to end the first and get back into the game 29-20.
Shooting blanks
Just when it seemed they
had found the plot to the game, SMB began to brick shots.
With about 6:35 to play in
the second period, I scribbled down in my notebook, “How big were those two
missed lay-ups by Mercado and Jones? Aside from that, SMB missed three
three-point attempts and one medium range jumper.
Then Taulava hit a fade
away right before the 24-second shot clock expired to give Air21 a 34-22 lead.
The Beermen’s lone bright spot
Let me say this…. Kevin
Jones carried the woeful Beermen. He didn’t get much support from his teammates
Lutz scored 11 while Arwind Santos added 10 however the former was scoreless in
the payoff period while the latter scored eight in the same frame (much too
late to dent the lead).
Jones scored 34 points on
14-22 shooting from the field and 5-8 from the line. He also pulled down 15
rebounds with eight coming off the offensive glass. He also chalked up three
assists and three blocks.
SMB had no flow to their
game. Some players even seemed listless. And they clearly missed the lift of
their twin threats in Lassiter (two points in 38 minutes) and Lutz.
Dialing back their game of yore
Taulava, the Big Fella, is
far from done. He still has something in that tank. For a while he seemed
content to knock guys around with his strength as his game went south. But
Taulava has pride. He loves nothing more than to work on his game. And the
match against SMB showed vintage Asi.
In that late charge by the
Beermen to end the first quarter, Asi took a step back jumper over JuneMar with
46 seconds to play to make it 28-18. Emboldened by that big shot, he drove on
their next possession to fish for Fajardo’s second foul.
Asi scored 17 points with
10 coming in the first half.
Sean Anthony played his
biggest game since he starred for the Powerade Tigers’ incredible drive to the
2012 Philippine Cup Finals.
The only other player to
really get under the collective skins of PBA players in Calvin Abueva and Beau
Belga. Anthony is a pest with his physical game and boundless energy and
penchant for being Charlie Hustle. They should create a stat just for Abueva,
Belga and Anthony on how many tangled arms, cheap shots, elbows, banging inside
and for position they account for every match. Anthony topscored for his team
with 25 points. He also collected seven boards, one assist, and two steals.
When Taulava and Wes
Witherspoon were in the bench, Anthony scored nine consecutive points to close
out Air21’s third period for a 63-54 lead. And for good measure, he blocked Sol
Mercado’s attempt at a buzzer beater (I don’t think Sean was credited for
this).
As good a job Franz
Pumaren has done with Air21, he was gracious enough to give credit to his
players for this historic win by the long-suffering and title-starved
franchise. The third-year PBA coach said that his team sustained their level of
play and aggressiveness, kept their composure, and stuck to their system even
when SMB made their run.
He tempered expectations
and any celebration by noting that the two teams play in two days’ time.
Do you think his Express
will continue to rain on SMB’s parade (and grand slam anniversary celebration)?
We’ll find out.
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