Alaska
Aces: The lesson
by rick olivares photos by nuki sabio and me
November 7, 2012
Smart Araneta Coliseum
The education of the young Alaska Aces
continues. Sometimes it comes at a cost.
Alaska saw its five game winning
streak snapped at the hands of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 101-93 as the
Aces crumbled from the fiery shooting display of their foes who scored 30
points in the fourth quarter.
The locker room was deathly quiet as
some players stared blankly while others were in disbelief at how they let the
game slip from them. Center Sonny Thoss was upset at himself as he botched
several shots from close range that would have really helped their cause.
Others were a little miffed at not returning when they had played well in the
early goings.
Eddie Laure, who has been in the PBA
for over a decade went up to his teammates shaking their hand. “Keep your head
up high,” he said to no one in particular. “Ganyan talaga para sa susunod
magtra-trabaho pa tayo ng husto para manalo.” Laure came off the bench to score
four points in the third quarter when Alaska continued to play well and hold
off Rain or Shine, 77-71, heading into the final period.
After the exhilarating win over Talk
‘n Text last week, Alaska faced another test in its quest for another title. If
the Tropang Texters were a test of defense and heart, the Elasto Painters posed
another challenge – mental and physical. If there is one team that resembles
the fabled Ginebra teams of the 80’s in terms of physicality, fielding
journeymen and the unwanted, and getting results from every single ounce of
talent, it is Rain or Shine. Their genius resides in its head coach, Yeng
Guiao, who has proven that old school is never out of vogue with his hardline
approach.
In the pre-game briefing for Alaska,
head coach Luigi Trillo went through everything his players needed to do from
avoiding Jeff Chan’s kicking movement that the referees continue to fall for,
JR Quiñahan’s pump fakes, and Gabe Norwood’s penchant for posting up his man.
But the one thing that Trillo stressed was Rain or Shine’s heart. Of how Ronnie
Matias fought for every ball, possession, every man as if his life depended on
it. Of how Jireh Ibanes and Larry Rodriguez came out of nowhere to earn a
roster spot and keep it with their hard-scrapping play.
“If we beat them then we are a threat
to their survival, their livelihood,” said Trillo in admiration of his foes for
the evening. “These guys play for keeps.”
“Just like Eddie,” he pointed out with
a nod to Laure whose contemporaries in the league include Petron’s Danny
Ildefonso, Barako Bull’s Celino Cruz, and Talk ‘N Text’s Glibert Lao. “Who has
been around the league for so long because he knows what to bring to the table.”
“You have to have each other’s backs
and when I say that, I mean it on defense and team play. If they play us
physical the best way to answer that is to score on ‘em or get to the foul
line. Make them pay.”
Forward Gabby Espinas looked at
counterpart Calvin Abueva who was seated across the room from him. Espinas, who
was the NCAA’s stud before Abueva came along, pointed to his heart and pounded
on it. Abueva returned the gesture.
For three quarters, Alaska frustrated
Rain or Shine with their defense, hustle, and heart. And it started with Trillo’s
unorthodox five with Sam Eman at center, RJ Jazul and Cyrus Baguio at guard
with Espinas and Dondon Hontiveros at forward. Guaio stared down at the Alaska
bench with a smile in silent appreciation for the cojones his counterpart had
in facing his regular starters of Quiñahan at center, Jervy Cruz and Chan at
forward, and Norwood and Ryan Araña at guard.
And it worked as Eman showed hustle
and defense as he stole the ball from Cruz, spun around his man for a lay-up,
and blocked a Chan jump shot. All of ROS’ attempts in the first two minutes
were all from the inside yet Alaska rejected them. On the offensive end, Jazul
and Hontiveros bombarded from the three-point line.
Defensively, Rain or Shine couldn’t
get untracked as the referees called it tight. The difficulty in playing ROS is
their players’ ability to shoot from the outside or drive in if denied. With
the inside game denied, the Elasto Painters began to fire away. And when a team
shoots 50% from the field, there isn’t much of a chance that they will lose.
After a Chan triple with 8:30 to play
to make it, 85-84, for his side, it was like a huge cloud had been lifted for
Guiao’s troops. They had battled, clawed and even showed some of their
trademark toughness (with Espinas and rookie Calvin Abueva who was mostly a
non-factor for the first time in his short pro career) but Alaska held them
off. After Chan’s shot, they celebrated as they scaled Mount Alaska. Another
Chan lay-up ensured that they were going to stay on the summit.
The Aces descended on a maze of errors
and misfires. Rain or Shine celebrated the win, a huge one for them as they
overtook Alaska in the standings for second place with a 6-2 record. Idle San
Mig Coffee was at third with a 5-2 slate while Alaska tumbled from second to
fourth with a 5-3 record.
After Eddie Laure’s gesture to prop up
his crestfallen teammates, the coaching staff walked in following their short
meeting outside the locker room. Trillo talked about taking practices
seriously. Their five-match win streak made them overconfident. In their last
practice, there was some clowning around and as a result, they got lost when
they ran some of their sets. “Basketball is serious business. You have to
respect your opponent. And you have to know everything that we are trying to
execute,” reminded Trillo who was upset with the loss. “We thought we had the
game in the bag and we stepped off the gas pedal. That’s how it is in the PBA,
teams can beat anyone on any given night.”
And looming is a tough foe in San Mig
Coffee who Alaska will face this Saturday in Lapu Lapu City, Cebu.
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