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| (Photo Credit: John Oranga, Fabilioh) |
As Matt Nieto slowly sat down in the press room in MOA Arena, you can't help but notice the smile on his face after their victory versus the La Salle Green Archers. This should be expected of any player after managing to beat their fiercest rivals (especially with HOW they beat them). But if you know Matt very well, seeing him with this much joy was a completely new experience.
For the longest time, Matt has been described as someone who is mataray by most of his batchmates. Every time he walks around campus, you see him with a stern look, as if he was just scolded by his dad for missing his free throws in practice. It wasn't as if Matt was purposely doing this as if to create a "brand" or whatsoever. Ever since he was in Grade School, he's always had a resting bitch face attached to him.
A resting bitch face can be interpreted in a myriad of ways. As mentioned, the word mataray comes out a lot when it comes to Matt. But at the same time, such a demeanor could show a person who is focused and determined at whatever task at hand he has facing him. On the court, it certainly shows.
At this point, we should already have a general idea of what Matt is. He's a no frills point guard who can break press defenses on his own. Rarely will you see a bad decision out of him, as he's mastered making good decision with and without the ball. As mentioned before in my piece for SLAM, he's managed to embrace the principles of what it means to be a point guard in the modern era.
He's managed to go beyond the intangibles, but for once, let's talk about those cliches some analysts are so tired of hearing. Hustling for the ball, having a high Basketball IQ are things Matt has been doing ever since he was a kid. He was already branded as a star as early as Grade School, but doing these seemingly mundane things has never been anything out of the blue for the point guard.
Something Matt has never done, or had for that matter, is have a big moment. When he was in High School, he was part of the vaunted Blue Eaglets Big 3 that had him, his brother Mike and Jolo Mendoza. Between them three, it was always Jolo and Mike who had the big moments. Mike was the one who got MVP and made the game winning fast-break lay-up versus De La Salle Zobel in Season 77. Jolo won Finals MVP, and was hailed as the next coming of the Phenom because of his other worldly scoring ability. Matt was part of this Big 3, but he wasn't necessarily viewed as a game changing talent. He was a star, but he wasn't someone who was going to change Ateneo's fortunes by any means once he left High School.
When he came into College, he continued to play the way he's played for the longest time. Smart basketball paired with a lot of toughness. Even till today, as his jumper has gotten better and is now being taken seriously by defenses, Matt still continues to show he has nerves of steel. Even though that may be the case, he's never been recognized for it. In a sense, you can't blame casual fans for not noticing him, because the things he does are so small, it's so hard to even recognize them upright. Hustling for the ball and making the right plays will make a coach glad, but casual fans will just shrug and say, "They're supposed to be doing that!"
Versus La Salle, Matt continued to do just that. He broke the pressure of La Salle again and again, and continued to make bucket after bucket showcasing his improved offense repertoire. Typical Matt Nieto. For casual fans, he's supposed to be doing just that.
But then, with 9.1 seconds remaining, Matt continued to do his job of hustling for the ball and making the correct play. He pressured Andrei Caracut into a turnover (shout out to Gian Mamuyac for the handy assist too), then drove to the rim and got fouled.
All of a sudden, Matt was in the spotlight. Just him. No Finals MVP and MVP with him, who he has to share the love with as well. It was essentially win or go home for him. He misses both free throws, he'll be eviscerated online by the Ateneo faithful. Make just one, fans will just be... okay. "Thanks for saving our asses.. for the mean time!" some fans would have probably said.
Spin. Dribble. Just him. No La Sallians in sight. His ring. Shoots it. Swish. 75-75.
Ateneans can now breathe a sigh of relief. At the very least, we likely get overtime. In that case, everyone wins. Free basketball.
Spin. Dribble. Now he has rebounders surrounding him. The previous time he was on the line, he missed the second free throw. How would it be this time? But you look at this face, and he looks unfazed. Same, classic Matt Nieto resting bitch face. He shoots it. Swish. 76-75. No celebration just yet. No fist pumps. He just faces the Ateneo bench and motions, "One stop."
3.9 seconds remaining, and La Salle still has a chance to win it all. Ben Mbala flubs the ball and falls on a number of Ateneo defenders. The buzzer sounds. Ateneo wins.
Matt has always shown a resting bitch face. Even as he made those free throws, he displayed the same stern look he's had for so long. But for once, he could not help by let out a scream facing the raucous Ateneo crowd. For once, he was the one being revered. This was his time. Make no mistake about it. This moment wasn't just handed down to him out of pity. By all means, Matt earned this by working his ass off and making the right plays on both ends of the floor.
Matt was asked again and again in the press room what he felt. Of course he'd say he felt relaxed. He does it in practice all the time. But as he answered those questions, you see something different. No longer is Matt showing his classic resting bitch face. You see someone who can't help but show some emotion even though he isn't used to it. This was something new. He was seen as the hero, not the sidekick. By all means, he deserves the recognition of saving Ateneo versus La Salle.
As the cliche goes, things aren't going to get any easier for Ateneo nor Matt. All eyes are on them to win nothing less but the championship, especially after the performance they put up this first round. But let's set that aside for now. For once, let's give Matt Nieto some love. After years of being unrecognized for the small things which he does, Matt got the game winning play, and most importantly, the hearts of those supporting the Ateneo Blue Eagles.
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