IF NorthPort and Rain or Shine were to truly reach their full potential – which is to set a date for themselves in the championship – then they’ll have to find ways to turn things around after not-so-promising Game One losses in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup semifinals.
Alarm bells aren’t usually rung after a first game loss, and this here is no exception. However, there’s just something about the way TNT and Barangay Ginebra imposed their will on the two young, and promising squads which should at least be a cause for concern for the two sentimental favorites heading into Game Two.
On a night when the usually efficient Rondae Hollis-Jefferson shot 8-of-27 from the field, the Elasto Painters just couldn’t capitalize as they were shackled once more by the suffocating Tropang Giga defense, 88-84.
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The top-seeded Batang Pier didn’t fare any better. Facing what should’ve been a weary Ginebra squad, it was them who got mauled, resulting in a 115-93 blowout in a telling first game.
A repeat of these performances in Game Two might just have those alarm bells ringing louder, with little to no chance of shutting them off. So before they get to that, adjustments and changes will certainly have to be made.
The slower the game, the worst it gets
It all starts with pace.
Rain or Shine and NorthPort were two of the fastest teams in the league, often pushing the basketball, getting a lot of easy buckets on their primary offense while forcing turnovers left and right to power their break.
That wasn’t the case in this game.
The Elasto Painters never got the chance to get their running game going, limited to just 10 fastbreak points as they were shackled by the stifling Tropang Giga defense, who didn’t fare any better themselves on the offensive end – but were totally comfortable winning ugly games through sheer grit and poise.
Coach Chot Reyes’ boys did a good job of limiting Rain or Shine’s possessions by playing a slower, methodical game and it also didn’t help that the Elasto Painters turned the ball over 22 times, unable to get their engine going against a stingy TNT defense.
One thing that Rain or Shine deserves credit for was its defense, which held the Tropang Giga to 37 percent shooting. But if they can’t find a way to restart their running offense, then they’re basically playing into TNT's hands – a slow, defensive struggle of a series, something it was able to pull off in the same phase just last conference.
In NorthPort’s case – massive adjustments will have to be made on both ends.
The best offense in the league succumbed to the league’s best defense as they were limited to just 93 points on just 42 percent shooting. What made it worse was that they weren’t doing any defending on the other end as well.
Averaging just 98 a game the entire conference, the Ginebra offense exploded for 115 points built on their red-hot 15-of-29 shooting from beyond the arc.
To make matters worse, Ginebra looked like the fresher team between the two despite its core going through a grueling February schedule with Gilas Pilipinas, being the first to every loose ball, bringing more energy and making NorthPort look so rusty after a prolonged break.
Great teams grow through adversity
The good news for both teams despite the not-so-promising outcomes in the first game is that they’re still pretty much on the right track, though they might just very well be in the steepest learning curve that they’d have to overcome yet.
The Elasto Painters and the Batang Pier are two very good teams who have the potential to be great, but the difference between the good ones from the greats is how they respond to roadblocks.
In the Elasto Painters’ case – it’s solving the pace of TNT, something that has haunted them for the second consecutive conference running.
For the Batang Pier, it’s by learning to compete at this stage, in the brightest of lights, with a certain level of expectation from them.
Whether that happens in this series might just very well be determined with how they adjust in Game Two.
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