CHICAGO - When sanitation workers cleaned after the mess of 19,176 fans who flocked to the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Saturday night, they must have found the scattered remains of what used to be a pack of tenacious, growling Tigers.
Anticipated as a knockdown blockbuster brawl, Game 1 of the UAAP Season 82 Finals turned out to be a roar-less rout. Sleepy and mildly amusing.
But genius is always boring.
Ateneo 91. UST 77.
"Thirdy" degree burns were the main cause of the Tigers' demise after Ferdinand III, an offspring from that hybrid Ravena basketball gene pool, whipped University of Santo Tomas with 32 points.
Showing more moves than Michael Jackson, Ravena, Bong's son and Kiefer's baby bro, danced his way to 14-of-18 shooting from the field. Thirdy also gathered five rebounds and dished three assists. He only missed shots when he got bored.
Ravena did not just push Ateneo one game away from a three-peat, he also destroyed the notion of parity and fairness in the UAAP,
Unstoppable as a woman's tears, Thirdy is a gifted pro disguised in an amateur's jersey.
And UST simply does not have a chance.
The defensive "mayhem" that the Tigers had carried like a badge of honor this season turned into harmless, child's play against a disciplined Ateneo offense.
The Blue Eagles dutifully and happily passed the ball around like rosary beads at a religious retreat. They spaced the floor well and patiently found seams with which to attack. The result was an insane 53 percent field goal shooting clip.
It usually takes more than one man to repel an ambush of Tigers, so Ateneo sent an army.
Ange Kouame did some heavy lifting with 18 points and 12 rebounds. SJ Belangel produced 12 points behind the firepower of a 3-point rifle. William Navarro and Gian Mamuyac pitched in 15 points and plenty of hustle, while a pair of Nietos lent their ball handling and hoops smarts.
OVERMATCHED, OVERWHELMED. The Tigers, meanwhile, looked like they were darted by a tranquilizer. And if Rookie of the Year Mark Nonoy hadn't detonated a 26-point explosion, Game 1 would have been a joke.
The heavenly Brent Paraiso was paradise lost, handcuffed to 14 points. And Soulemane Chabi Yo, a motor of scoring and rebounding, bogged down with 13 markers and 10 boards.
Remember Ren-Rhen, the two most beautifully conjured names on the other side of the Kobe-Ricci street?
Well, the usually reliable duo, who mauled the UP Maroons for 50 points in the semis, were toothless, paper Tigers against the rigid Ateneo defense.
Renzo Subido finished with just eight points and the arena spectators didn't even know that Rhenz Abando was in the building until he drilled a free throw with 8:25 left to play and UST down, 78-59.
Aldin Ayo, the basketball nerd with the good looks, acted like a doting parent and shielded his young men from the pain, assuming responsibility for UST's loss.
Cute and adorable, but the attempt at self-flagellation does not hide the fact that no amount of coaches' preparation could have stopped the calamity that was the Blue Eagles.
Ateneo's offense was like a flood that rushed quickly to an 8-0 start before rising surely and steadily from a 20-4 lead into a 71-48 bubble. Only a miracle from Santo Tomas himself could have provided enough sand bags to save a sinking season.
What's inside the head of Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin is as covert as the contents of a black box. But in Game 1, he teased us with a glimpse of his genius, unleashing a zone press that crippled UST early.
I can't wait for Game 2. Watching Baldwin coach is like watching Picasso paint.
I'm not giving up on UST just yet. Tiger heart, Tiger blood.
But it might not be a bad idea for Aldin Ayo to prepare a locker room farewell and a concession speech.
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