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Defense, coaching factors in Alaska-San Miguel finals series
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After early exits in the Commissioner’s Cup that foiled any chance of them meeting again in the finals, Alaska and San Miguel finally get the chance to go for an encore, this time for the 2015 PBA Governors’ Cup crown.
The Aces and the Beermen went the distance the last time, with San Miguel coming away with the Philippine Cup in seven thrilling games.
While coach Alex Compton has said that the Aces just “want to win and nothing else,” getting back at their rivals should be a motivation as well, and for close observers like Talk ‘N Text assistant coach Nash Racela and brother Olsen, who is also an assistant for Ginebra, this promises to be a very exciting series to end the 40th season.
READ: Compton: We want to win and nothing else
Battle against the hulking MVP
By now, everyone already knows that June Mar Fajardo is really a force to be reckoned with in the PBA.
“Ever since, San Miguel’s advantage is June Mar. How he’ll be effective will be the key,” said Nash.
READ: Imports and all, Abueva and Fajardo will be Finals factors
In San Miguel’s bruising semifinals against Rain or Shine, the Cebuano giant was the consistent force for the Beermen, norming 19.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in four games.
And he will literally be the biggest problem for the Aces, as Fajardo, poised to become the first back-to-back MVP in the last 14 years, will be their main priority on defense.
“Alaska has the personnel to matchup against June Mar. The question mark will be the effectiveness of its bigs like Sonny Thoss, (Noy) Baclao, and (Sam) Eman in defending him,” Nash added.
Olsen agrees, saying that defending Fajardo must be the top of the list for coach Alex Compton.
“They have to contain June Mar without having to double and they can do that because they have a lot of big men,” he said. “June Mar can hurt them in so many ways. If he doesn’t score, he’s gonna get the rebounds especially in the offensive end.”
That’s why for Olsen, the key stat for Alaska would be the rebounding.
“They have to win the rebounding battle. If they do that, that means they’re doing a good job on June Mar.”
The Aces hauled down 48.33 boards per game against Star in the semis.
Emotionally-filled war
The Aces are probably still seething from their Philippine Cup defeat at the hands of the Beermen.
But for Nash Racela, the recent history between the two could work both ways.
“If you’re the one which is victorious in the previous series, that gives you confidence on going up against another team. You know you can get through them and that will give you the confidence,” he said.
“On the other side, when you’re on the losing end, you’ll do anything to get back at the other team. That’s enough motivation to drive Alaska to want it more this time out.”
This will be the eighth time the two teams will clash in the Finals, with Alaska leading that matchup, 4-3.
Though San Miguel reigned supreme in the most recent Philippine Cup duel, the last time these two teams met before that, the Aces came out victorious over the Beermen in an import-laden conference with Diamon Simpson leading the then-Tim Cone-coached Alaska in six games of the 2010 Fiesta Conference.
Choking defense
The Racela brothers also agree that the Alaska’s relentless defensive schemes will work to their advantage.
“It will work to their favor. They’re known for defending the whole game, the whole length of the court. Defending San Miguel from the backcourt will definitely give the Beermen problems, delaying their offense and affecting their execution,” Nash said.
READ: Fajardo wary of Alaska, says SMB has to improve defense
In the eliminations, Alaska ranked fourth in defense, limiting its opponents to just 90.45 points a game. It then clamped down on defense when the playoffs began and squeezed the life out of Star, forcing the Hotshots to just 80.67 points in the Aces’ three-game sweep in the semis.
Falling to that trap will be the biggest mistake the Beermen can make, said Olsen, as he said that San Miguel has to take care of the ball more and slice the 14.5 turnovers they committed in the semis.
“They just have to be ready for Alaska’s pressure. The Aces are the most resilient team in the league. If San Miguel can handle the pressure, half of their job is done,” he said.
Evenly matched imports
Nash also believes that the imports will just cancel each other out as both AZ Reid and Romeo Travis are both at the forefront of the attack for their respective teams.
Reid averaged 28.4 points, 10.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.2 steals this conference, ans Travis was not far behind with 24.0 points, 12.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.2 blocks.
“Both imports are do-it-all,” said Nash. “AZ has proven himself, especially this conference that he’s done so much for San Miguel and he’s got great contributions from all over.”
READ: AZ Reid wants to take a PBA title home
“Alaska, meanwhile, have the personnel to defend him. Eventually, those two will guard each other and they would have to cancel each other out.”
Coaching chess match
For Nash, this series will boil down to on to one thing: coaching.
“The factor is how the coaches will manage the games. It’s so evenly matched and I don’t see any team that has a clear advantage. It just depends on how they will matchup,” he said.
“In hindsight, June Mar will be matched up with Sonny, the imports will guard each other, and it will be Abueva and (Vic) Manuel versus (Arwind) Santos. How they will adjust their lineups and manage the players will decide on to who will win.”
Coach Alex Compton and coach Leo Austria will have the unenviable task of trying to outthink each other, just like what they did in the Philippine Cup. And it sure does look like the first to flinch and make the mistake would unfortunately fall in the end.
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