A salute to you... (Ateneo- La Salle PART 2)

Ateneo 81 - La Salle 65

I'll try to keep it short. Everyone watched the game and saw how Ateneo dominated La Salle in every aspect. And I 'm going to work in a few mins, so, might as well write for probably the last Live Game I watch this season. Until we get into the Finals at least.

Standing Room Only.
First off, I would just like to say that I would trade Lower Box or Patron tickets FOR Upper A tickets any day. I had LB tickets yesterday, stayed at the area for about 10mins, and just as the ref was about to throw up the ball for the jump, I stood up and went to Upper B with the rest of my ACIL family. LB is soooo boring. People are not allowed to stay standing. God! How stupid! People pay high to actually sit and watch not scream cheer and jeer. It sickens me. The moment I stepped on the Upper B grounds, I felt home. Seriously. The floor shaking from the energy of the stomping crowd. The screams of curses and "I love you Nonoy's" are what makes watching the game all worth while. Followers watch in Patron and LB, but die-hard watch Upper A and B. So where do you belong?

Note: My ACIL friends are the best people to watch games with. Come join us sometime...I'll show you why.

Saludo.
When Eric Salamat scored a basket, he leisurely walked towards the sidelines and gave Ateneo a salute. This was just an amazing moment, until Joshua, the "Big Douche", Webb, did the same trick only it was also towards the best crowd in the league. I say Screw You dickhead! You ain't got nothin' on us! You got lucky the first game with your good game, but this time, all you proved was that you have the referees behind you. How many times did you taunt the crowd and the players and you didn't even get a warning even as Bringas got his for small words said towards Buenafe(?). Are you protected because you're a Webb? Come on! You're elders have class, you obviously don't. Maybe someday you'll be the star of your team and you'll punish Ateneo with your skills, but in the meantime, I say work on your attitude dumb ass.

To Mr Coach: Please control your boy. He'll get what he deserves someday. Beware, you might regret tolerating his antics. Oh wait, you never were a disciplinarian wen it came to your boys. But you should be. Last year, you had wins to back up your foolishness. This year you've got so much uncontrolled talent, a disgraceful bunch of amateurs, and well, below .500 win-loss card.

A Good Run.
Hopefully what Ateneo showed yesterday will be the type of game that they will consistently parade for the rest of the season. The scoring was balanced and the players moved the ball well (except for a few regular Rabeh plays). Speaking of Rabeh, he's getting his rhythm back, that's always a good sign especially as the rest of the team are picking up as well. Imagine all the players clicking at the same time, whether defensively or offensively. The bigs will need to be consistent and the smalls need to continue breaking the D and shooting the three.

In the mean time, please stop the "M-V-P" chants. Rabeh hasn't played upto par yet; not even close. Unlike Paul Lee of UE or Dylan Ababou of UST, Rabeh has yet to take over a game by his lonesome. He usually has an Eric Salamat who starts the offensive run, or Nonoy and Bacon stepping it up on Defense before he gets with the flow. Paul and Dylan, and even Andy Baroca do their own thing when they want to.

Ateneo is playing team basketball now, that's a good sign.

To Win.
Ateneo has beaten UE and La Salle, so by theory, they've gotten past 2 of the tougher challenges. FEU should be the crucial game. Ateneo needs to break their sprirt like how they did La Salle last year. After beating La Salle twice in the season, the Finals just seemed like formality. Beating FEU, by a good 6-8 points would be good enough to show that they've got their number. But a 10+ point win will be fantastic.

Another important win that Ateneo needs to secure is against UP. They need to show that the first game was simply a miscalculation in their part. They need to go all-out and open an extra-large can of whoooopass. Perfect example, after the first round loss to FEU last season, Ateneo dominated Game 2 from start to finish.

But always, every win is important. NU, Adamson and UST are still humps Ateneo need to get passed.

So, for all the Ateneo supporters and die-hard, a salute to you, for your continued passion for the game and the team. Let our cheers and jeers in EVERY game be of help in keeping the championship trophy right where it belongs. (no, not in GMA)...

Go Ateneo!