Thunderbolt rising
by rick olivares
Following
that massive 119-113 win over Talk ‘N Text last October 1, the Meralco Bolts
put themselves in a great position to advance to its first ever PBA Finals
stint.
The
elimination round has been anything but smooth after what was a rollicking
pre-season that saw Meralco steamroll opponents. Come the actual Governors’
Cup, the Bolts struggled and took some painful losses. They eventually booked a
semi-finals slot that equals their placement during the Commissioner’s Cup
where they were a minute away from also making the finals.
Now
they are one game up on their sister team, a seemingly incredible position
considering the Trop ran roughshod over opponents during the entire tournament.
The
Bolts are a curious mix. You can say that many of their players have seen
better days. Some have so-so careers, some were never even drafted while a
select few are budding stars. Yet they have been playing grind it out
basketball.
And
all that was on display last Saturday.
The
oldtimers Reynel Hugnatan and Jimmy Alapag scored 21 and 17 points
respectively.
The
unheralded in Jonathan Uyloan (who had his best game as a member of this team)
and Bryan Faundo added nine and six points respectively.
While
the young guns – Chris Newsome, Cliff Hodge, and Baser Amer – were solid. Newsome
who had two of the best dunks this conference if not the entire season scored
16 points while dishing for a team high eight assists! Forward Cliff Hodge added
13 despite not rebounding well. And Amer, who has struggled in his rookie
season, finished with 12 points.
American
reinforcement Allen Durham finished with his usual workman-like 23 points and 13
rebounds.
It
is Year Two of Norman Black’s plan to bring a first-ever title to Meralco and
they would love nothing more than to arrive ahead of schedule. This team was
overhauled before this season started and although their imports (Durham and
Arinze Onuaku who suited up for the Bolts during the Commissioner’s Cup have
played huge roles plugging that gap in the middle, the locals have really come
to play.
It
was all thought that Alapag ought to have stayed retired but he has
rediscovered his shooting form that has been inspirational. Hugnatan has been
old man reliable while the other bigs – Faundo and Kelly Nabong – have done a
lot of the dirty work.
The
rookies have been superb.
The
one thing I have learned following the career of Norman Black is that it is
always the darkest before the dawn. When he began coaching Magnolia during the
1986 season, they won only one game (during that third conference). In 1987,
they won one championship. By 1988, the San Miguel Beermen were building
towards the juggernaut it would become by annexing two more crowns. By 1989,
they copped the coveted Grand Slam.
In
2000, he joined an underachieving and demoralized Sta. Lucia franchise and led
them to the finals where they lost to an SMB team that reloaded and featured
none of his former players. A year later, the Realtors won its first PBA
championship.
Even
with the Ateneo Blue Eagles, Black endured difficult seasons before leading the
school to five straight UAAP titles. In his return to the PBA, he immediately
won with Talk ‘N Text before moving to Meralco.
It
hasn’t been easy with the Bolts. The first conference of this season was an
unqualified disaster as they only won one title.
If
you talk to Black, he will tell you that he never looks back at the past and
only looks forward. Sure. But the man has made a name for himself for turning
teams around. Think of it, he won one game with Magnolia in 1986 before he
turned it around. Thirty-years later, his team is on the cusp of a finals berth
an in the hunt for a title.
Now
we will find out if his team can close it out. Whatever happens, watching Black
and his team turn things around has been amazing. Now for Game Four.
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