CHICAGO - Since Meralco's franchise-first PBA title win last Sunday, Nenad Vucinic has been celebrated as though he just invented free high-speed internet.
And that's fine. The Serbian active consultant deserves rockstar status for slaying both Ginebra and San Miguel to claim the 'chip.
But as you continue to pass around praises like presents on Christmas morning, leave some for Luigi Trillo, whose credentials now include six championships - two as a head coach and four as an assistant.
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When Nenad arrived at Meralco, the complexity of an active consultant-head coach set-up was a concept that was alien to several players. Luigi made the transition easy by accepting his role without any rancor.
Trillo wasn't just an accessory to Meralco's historic feat. He was an accomplice.
As told to me by some Meralco players, Luigi was an energetic presence in practice, helping out with game preparations and communications. And as we saw at games, he tirelessly worked the referees to ensure Meralco got the fair blow of the whistle.
POOR SHOOTING SABOTAGED SMB.
Also, we can hail the Bolts' coaching prowess without taking a dump on San Miguel's sideline inadequacies. Sportsmanship is about celebrating the victor without denigrating the vanquished.
The Beermen's failed Philippine Cup title defense wasn't just a function of overmatched coaching, it was also a massive failure on the part of several players to perform.
As I sifted through six games worth of stats sheets I found a telling clue on why San Miguel lost.
Their three best guards - C.J. Perez, Chris Ross and Jericho Cruz - shot a combined 56-of-175 field goals (32 percent) and 15-of-67 threes (22.3 percent).
As a team, San Miguel missed 56 of 191 free throws in six games for an average of 9.3 per game.
In a tightly-fought series where the average winning margin was a mere 4.6 points per game, San Miguel's hideous shooting proved fatal.
HOW'S THAT COACH JORGE GALLENT'S FAULT?
I just covered the 2024 NBA Finals and I didn't hear any blame hurled toward Dallas coach Jason Kidd for the shortcomings of Mavericks star Kyrie Irving and P.J. Washington.
I get it, Gallent and his staff could have done better.
They didn't have to make June Mar Fajardo work like a coal miner. When Ross and Cruz got cold, they could have given more playing time to Simon Enciso, who got two DNPs but hit 2-of-4 from the field and 1-for-3 from distance despite limited opportunities.
They could have given Vic Manuel a longer leash, more playing time for Jeron Teng and a little bit more trust in Rodney Brondial.
But hindsight is always 20-20.
Just last February, Gallent led San Miguel to the PBA Commissioner's Cup crown before guiding the Beermen to an 11-1 finish in the Philippine Cup elimination round.
He is an excellent coach. He didn't get bad overnight.
Just remember that before you cast the next stone.
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