THE DIRTY FINGER

Thee past few days, I've tried to stay away from mentioning any and all Ateneo-La Salle related issues/topics because I feel that both groups have gone way, way overboard on these issues.

But I can't stay quiet on this one. I really, really need an explanation.

ATENEO EAGLES UAAP CHAMPS!

There are going to be a million and one articles about Game two of the UAAP. I'm sure you guys will get your fill.

For me, I'll just point out the top 5 reasons why Ateneo won over La Salle.

1) Chris Tiu came back to play. After scoring just two points in Game 1, Tiu made sure his last game as an Eagle came with a championship ring. His 15+ points against an resolute Archer defense underscored the heart and determination of this young man (who appears clothed in an underwear ad. Go figure)

2) Maierhofer lost it. Did he flip someone (or simply flip out). Whatever the reason, La Salle was doomed when Maierhofer was ejected from the game. There simply was no other offensive weapon left for La Salle (aside from Casio)

3) Casio got tired. You've got to hand it to Casio, he never gave up. but basketball is a team sport and 1 man never, ever beat a team.

4) Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Nonoy Baclao and Ryan Buenafe were simply too much. Maierhofer was the only one who had any chance against these three and he buckled under the Atenean pressure plus the fact that Mangahas, Barua and Ferdinand couldn't take up the cudgels for him.

5) Ateneo has a better program in place. This championship was the product of Atenean basketball efforts started back in 2002. When you realize that Buenafe has about 3-4 more years of eligibility left, you simply have to marvel at the Ateneo basketball program and admit that their future has already arrived. For La Salle, I don't see any budding stars among the younger players, which may lead to a collapse of the La Salle basketball empire.

That being said, congratulations to the Ateneo Blue Eagles!

QUESTIONS FOR GAME 2 OF THE UAAP CHAMPIONSHIPS

Here are some pressing questions for today's Game 2 versus La Salle and Ateneo...

1) Can Chris Tiu and Eric Salamat regain their form in time to give Ateneo the championship?

2) Will Nonoy Bacalao start in the place of the ineffective Baldos?

3) Is it time for Maierhofer to start the game for the Archers, to neautralize MVP Al-Hussaini?

4) Can JV Casio start hitting three pointers consistently?

5) Will Ryan Buenafe dominate the La Salle frontline again?

6) Can Mangahas and Barua match the intensity of the Ateneo frontline?

7) Can the La Salle guards stop fouling incessantly?

8) Will Jai Reyes continue playing like a young LA Tenorio?

9) Will there be a fistfight in the game?

10) Will Franz Pumaren resign if La Salle loses today?

WHY LA SALLE LOST

We've gone through the different reasons why Ateneo won...now we go on to why La Salle lost.

1) JV Casio. I know JV Casio topscored for La Salle with 20 pts but his shooting percentage hovered around 30% (I think he shot something like 7-24). When your leading scorer is throwing up bricks (and JV missed some extremely open shots, especially from 3 point range), you find yourself relying on other people who aren't used to being a focal point of the offense for long stetches. Maierhofer had a really efficient game, scoring 16pts and cornering 14 rebounds but we all know that where JV goes, La Salle goes.

2) Too many blown easy shots. The ring simply hated anything green last Sunday. I guarantee you, you will never see another game as frustrating for the Archers as Game 1 of the UAAP Finals. How many times this season did Casio miss layups after a great move? Less than the number of times he missed last Sunday. Maierhofer should have had at least 4 more buckets on putbacks that rolled around the ring before droppping into the hands of an Atenean defender. Everywhere I looked, there were Archers missing lay ups, putbacks, even short jumpers...Had they made those, they would have led from the first quarter onward.

3) The Lost Guards. Where the hell were Malabes, Atkins and Revilla? With Chris Tiu out on fouls, La Salle had an opportunity to run away with the game. Instead, La Salle's three guards were outplayed by Jai Reyes...alone (and Jai Reyes isn't exactly what you would call a dominant guard). At times, it felt like a 4 on 5 game, with the La Salle guards just standing around, waiting to do the next thing on this list.

4) Too many unnecessary (and stupid) fouls. Sure, the La Salle press forced Ateneo into 15 turnovers in the first half alone (which is already Ateneo's average in a game). But for every time the Archers forced a turnover, there where 2 other times when they fouled an Atenean who was worlds away from making a play. Just how bad was it? La Salle was in the penalty midway through the first and second quarters. In the third quarter, La Salle was in the penalty after just three minutes! Taking into consideration the fact that each team had 24seconds, this means La Salle fouled Ateneo every time they took the ball downcourt. And these weren't fouls on drives, postups or slashing plays. These were fouls on ball carriers who weren't even in the position to initiate a play. These bonehead plays were responsible for a lot of Ateneo points, which, if we subrtract them from the total score, would have probably given La Salle a comfortable lead.

5) Cold outside shooting. We've talked about Casio's 30% shooting percentage and the unfortunate shrinking of the ring for post players. We compound it with the fact that, midway through the fourth quarter, La Salle has shot just 2-17 from beyond the 3 point line. That's barely 15%! If you can't hit from outside, don't keep hoisting it up. Charge in and try to get an easier shot. At the very least, try to get a foul. But the La Salle ineefectiveness from rainbow land was so evident that the Ateneo big men (and even their small men) just set up camp in the painted area and waited for rebounds off La Salle misses. 

Fortunately for La Salle, none of these factors are permanent. Casio can regain his shooting touch. Maierhofer, Barua and Mangahas can start hitting from the inside. Malabes, Atkins and Revilla can be big factors on defense. The question is, can they be all these in time for Game 2?

WHY THE EAGLES WON

By this time, you must have watched, read or had the Ateneo victory described to you in detail. I will not add to the legion of sports recappers and, instead, will focus on analyzing key facets of the game. 

The sheer amount of things to talk about is gargantuan, therefore, I will make this a 3-part blog.

First we take on the winning Ateneo side.

WHY ATENEO WON

1) Rabeh Al-Hussaini - If there were any doubts about this guy's MVP worthiness, it got erased by his masterful Game 1 performance, logging in 31 points and 8 rebounds. Al-Hussaini started out rather tentatively, betraying jittery nerves as he shot just 1-5 in the first quarter, missing the mid range jumpers he would later on hit with amazing regularity. I don't know what coach Norman Black said to him but as soon as Al-Hussaini stepped on to the court in the third quarter, he stamped his class all over the La Salle interior defense. The ferocity he showed right from the start of the 3rd quarter got his teammates fired up, leading to a 12-0 run that La Salle never recovered from. 

2) Ryan Buenafe - He's a rookie playing in his first UAAP championships as part of the most explosive and bitter rivalry in the history of Philippine collegiate basketball. Everyone would understand and forgive him if he succumbed to the pressure of the big game. Instead, Ryan Buenafe scores Ateneo's first 2 points, grabs an offensive rebound and dishes out to Al-Hussaini for an uncontested lay up, has 7 of Ateneo's 11 points with time running out in the first quarter, almost has a double double by the half (10pts, 8 rebs) and plays like a heady veteran in crunch time. A lot of basketball pundits were surprised to see Buenafe starting but I think Buenafe has certainly made his case. And yes, Rookie of the year is a foregone conclusion.

3) Nonoy Baclao - 7 blocks. Including two momentum breaking blocks on La Salle big men Rico Maierhofer and James Managahas. Baclao forced Maierhofer into a traveling violation after he stuffed the ball back into Maierhofer's face and he sent Mangahas crashing to the deck and the ball into Archer territory with a swat that would have done Dennis Rodman proud. Had either Maierhofer or Managhas made their shots, La Salle would have been in striking distance once again.  Any kind of momentum would have propelled the Archers past the Eagles. But instead, Baclao's blocks resulted into 2 La Salle turnovers and an 8 point swing (4 La Salle points gone with the block and 4 points on the ensuing Ateneo possession, courtesy of Al-Hussaini). 

4) Team Maturity -  La Salle forced Ateneo into 15 first half turnovers, their average per game. Ateneo barely even flinched. La Salle took its first lead on a Casio 3 point play. Ateneo immediately took it back. La Salle hacked and fouled at every opportunity. Ateneo canned their free throws calmly. In the end, La Salle's frantic, frenetic energy was not enough to shake Atenean composure...which is why Ateneo ended up on top.

5) Unselfishness and Team Play - There are several reasons why Al-Hussaini ended up with 31 points...and those reasons are named Buenafe, Reyes, Salamat and Tiu. These guys penetrated, dished out, bounced off and did everything humanly possible to get Al-Hussaini in the best position to succeed...and Al-Hussaini's success was their success.

Next up, why La Salle lost...

LA SALLE VS ATENEO: A FEARLESS FORECAST

Three hours. That's how long tickets for Game 1 of the UAAP basketball championship series between Ateneo-La Salle were available.

Seven thousand pesos. That's how expensive tickets for the match of the year became.

Here are five key match ups that can spell the difference between sweet victory and a year of "what ifs".

STARS. Ateneo has two in veteran Chris Tiu and rising star Rabeh Al-Hussaini. La Salle also has two in veterans JV Casio and Rico Maierhofer. Both pairs give roughly the same in points, rebounds and defense. My take? A tie.

DEFENSIVE PRESENCE. Ateneo has shot blocking Nonoy Baclao and master swiper Eric Salamat. La Salle has great team defense but no truly outstanding defender. My take: Ateneo goes up 1 point.

COACH. Black versus Pumaren. Both proven, both battle tested, both with something to prove. My take? Black is a master tactician while Pumaren is a master motivator. Another tie, but barely. Ateneo still up by one.

X-FACTOR. In other words, Eric Salamat versus Bader Malabes. So far, Eric has been absolutely sterling for the Eagles, with his effort on both offense and defense usually catapulting Ateneo to victory. Malabes, on the other hand, has been on and off but when he's on, he's really hot. My take? Ateneo goes up 2-0.

CROWD. Noise? Check. Screaming? Check. Old fogeys trying to remember what it felt like to be 18? Check on both sides. My take? Sorry but I think the La Salle crowd has more hotties and cuties than Ateneo.

So Ateneo wins the match up 2-1. My bet is that the series ends that way.

MY BIASED PICK. La Salle. 11 years of education can't be washed away that easily.

MY VERY BIASED PICK FOR NEXT YEAR. UP Parrots, este, Maroons go all the way!!!

IT'S LA SALLE VS ATENEO!

The UAAP Board probably feels like a 3 year old kid unwrapping gargantuan gifts under a shining Christmas tree.

The most anticipated UAAP Finals match up is no longer a fantasy, as both the Archers and the Eagles disposed of their opponents to set up the defining series of the year.

The Eagles head into the UAAP fFinals as the prohibitive favorites, having been extremely dominant this year. They won a league leading 13 games, including taking both of their games against rival, La Salle.

The Archers, on the other hand, had a see-saw kind of season, looking dominant in one game then looking vulnerable in the next. Psychologically, they've got to be hurting, after they lost their last game against Ateneo by double digits.

My fearless prediction? Read it in the next posts.

UAAP FINAL FOUR SET!

Ateneo, La Salle, FEU, UE.

Did we really expect a different set? Well, UST had a chance, I guess, but it became obvious, midway thru the tournament, that the Tigers had lost their mojo. 

Ateneo has been magnificent so far, dominating the opposition in nearly all of their 12 wins, while La Salle and FEU has been keeping pace, peaking at exactly the right time.

UE seems to be just happy making it to the Final Four but don't be fooled. They can knock out practically anyone if they have their game on. Their problem is no one knows if they have their game on till the game starts.

And, despite the fact that the Final Four participants have their bids locked and sealed, we still have something to look forward to: you got it, it's La Salle vs Ateneo this Saturday (and you know what that means).

It's gonna be war.