Who let the Dogs out?!? Huhuhuhuhu...

September 15, 2007

Ateneo bows to N.U. with an 8-point loss.Gee...

I know how much Ateneo got a boost from the game against LaSalle just recently as it raised Atenean pride to a whole new level. My cousins and I walked out of Araneta with our heads up high as we beat archrival La Salle in dramatic fashion. It was a game for the books. The win gave us the golden chance to get solo second place and the opportunity for 'twice-to-beat' advantage in a playoff against eventual 3rd seed. All we had to do was win our last game. We did not need a dominant win (although it would have been great, and "in your face"). A simple ten, six, even a one point win could have been fine, really. But.... we just had to play it easy and skrew everything up.

In a cruel twist of fate just a few mins ago...we fucking lost. To N.U. A team who has a 5-8 win-loss card as to our 9-4 standing. We were seeded 2nd, and them 6th and out of contention for Final Four. Ofcourse, why shoudn't we take them easily? We beat them in our first meeting right? ........BY A MEASLY 1 POINT!!! Sorry to those die-hard Hail Mary Team fans, of whom I am proudly a part of, but what I witnessed in the game earlier was outrageously irritating. And thus i present to you 4 reasons, I feel, cost us the win.

1. Obviously, we took the f*cking game for granted. Over-confidence perhaps? Yes, it was only N.U., correction, it's N.U.! Though they're having a dismal year with another lost chance to get into the coveted list of four, N.U. remains a competitive team. Their team is composed of primed-up players in Aguilar and Lingao-lingao in the paint, versatile wingman in Asoro, and clutch scoring-guards in Jhanke, Malagueño and streak-shooting Jonathan Fernandez, not to mention a scrappy bunch of role players who can easily light-up the scoreboards at any given day. It just HAD to be today.

2. Shooting woes. Is it me, or did we lose juice on our outside shooting today? During the Ateneo-La Salle game, the Eagles shot the lights-out from all corners of the court. In today's game, even though we had moments of shooting glory here and there, it came in spurts, and probably too late. Junior guard Jai Reyes stepped-up big in the fourth kanto with clutch baskets and timely assists, but why wasn't he given the liscense to take the game winning shot in regulation. Spare me the stat-sheet presentation, but even if Reyes has not been performing as well as we wished him to be (pertaining to his stint in the Juniors), he ramains as an effective scorer for the team when duty calls. Eric Salamat had a chance for the pull-up J as he drove to the basket but opted to pass it to Tiu in the dying seconds. Yes, Chris Tiu is the main man for Ateneo, and his shooting has sky-rocketed in their past few games, But consistency wise and accuracy (today) in question, was that last shot the best option for the Eagles? It was a tied game. A simple drive, draw and drop, I believe would have been much, much more necessary.

3. Turnovers and weak perimeter defense. As i learned in the movie "Coach Carter", discipline and the basics are all you need in winning the game. Getting and keeping the ball is the primary goal of a game such as the one played earlier. N.U. was shooting crazily well from the outside which caused most of Ateneo's troubles in the wake of the 3rd quarter. Maybe Lady-Luck was on the Bulldog's side, but what gave us the idea that we could just allow them to keep scoring like the way they did? Correct me if I'm wrong, they did open the damn quarter with a 9-0 run right? What's more hideously painful is that the same thing happend in overtime, which eventually cost us the win. If the other team is scoring treys, guard the SHOOTERS for crying out loud. J. Fernandez had a field day. Turnovers, as usual killed us from start to finish. In one of the timeouts called by team Blue, Coach Norman Black stressed the point of firm and direct passing "...if you're going to pass the ball, don't just throw it up"---(Something to that effect.)

4. Finally and probably the most haunting cause: we played without heart. If you think this is the same as number one, which technically is bashing the Eagles' lackluster effort, it's not. What I mean by playing without heart here ladies and gentlemen, is the inability to scramble for the each and every possession. "Puso-Puso!!" is a phrase(?) we often use when we see the Eagles dive for loose-balls, and sky for rebounds. Number one focusses on the mind. Number two right here, speaks for itself. (Not all palyers lacked heart though, and to those who "died" for the ball, I applaud you. Unfortunately, basketball is a TEAM sport.) What probably separates us from league-leading U.E. is becuase true to their moniker/ mascot(?), they have been warriors all season long. We should not be just Blue Eagles, we should be the Blue Eagle...The King.


The SCENARIO: A La Salle- Ateneo play-off match will be played to determine who will take the 2nd seat in the standings and will gain twice-to-beat advantage come semis match between 3rd and 2nd.
If we win---Obviously, we get the twice-to-beat edge. And will wait. prepare for a week or two for eventual 3rd.
If we lose--- We will have to face the 4th seed. Fighting for 4th place are FEU and UST, both with 8-6 in the standings. Both teams have beaten us in the first round elimination. If we do win against eventual 4th, we get to face La Salle again, and would have to beat them two times. By then, La Salle would have prepared extra hard for the semi-final match, whether it be Ateneo or whoever.
Just how much of a BIG game was this for Ateneo? For the time being, it could be a season turning one.
I am a proud Ateneo Team supporter, WIN-OR-LOSE it's the school we choose, but the tradition of winning should not be overlooked. Each game should be played like it is the last. With this said, I am sure that if the Blue Eagles focus on taking it a game at a time, they can easily bounce back and finish victorious.
Go Ateneo, One Big Fight!