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| (Photo Credit: John Oranga, Fabilioh) |
The first thing that came into people's minds regarding Thirdy's dunk was how athletic and explosive Thirdy is. The raw power he showed to get to shove that ball into the rim as if it was a piece of garbage he's been meaning to throw for quite some time now was an utter beauty to watch. Others even went as far as to compare it to dunks by LeBron James and Russell Westbrook.
However, there were other notable things from that very sequence. And it is those very things which make the Ateneo Blue Eagles such a great basketball team.
Before the dunk by Thirdy, the Blue Eagles ran some nifty motion leading to a corner three for Anton Asistio. It was a great look for Anton, as even his teammates and coaches were already motioning that the shot was going to go in. Ultimately it rimmed in and out, but the action that led to the shot by Anton was the one that created the necessary opening that Thirdy needed for his highlight dunk.
Look at all of that space in the freethrow line area! Since Ateneo does most of its action around the pinch post leading to either drop passes to the paint or kick-outs to the corners or wings, this should come as no surprise. But having that much space in that area is a testament to how well Ateneo is able to move the ball AND its players around for great opportunities.
Sadly, the shot by Anton missed. Thankfully, Ikeh manages to grab the offensive rebound even though Joco Macasaet had better position against him. Here's where the goodness happens. First, take a look at where the UST players are looking as Ikeh grabs the board:
ALL FOUR of them are looking directly at Ikeh as if he can end the world by putting that ball in the hoop. Technically, this isn't wrong! The defense should have an idea of where the ball is. After all, the primary goal of a defense is to stop the basketball from going inside the basket.
But that's just one part of the task of defending in basketball. Getting to take note of the players, the ones doing the job of putting the ball in the basket, is something the Growling Tigers failed to do. They could have swiveled their heads to other directions to take note of possible cutters or shooters, but they didn't do that. Instead, they continued to stare at Ikeh as if he was some sort of supermodel.
Now, with Ikeh in possession of the basketball, he has four options. The first is to obviously just go towards the rim and get himself two points. But that wouldn't be wise considering there are four guys surrounding you. He's no Shaq nor Mbala, so he opts not to do that. Wise choice.
The second option is to pass it off to Anton Asistio, who's already asking for the ball the moment Ikeh manages to grab the rebound. That wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, but chances are, Faundo would have managed to recover and Anton would have been forced to set up a play with 14 seconds remaining. With that in mind, not the worst decision Ikeh's made (this, I am sure of).
The third option is to kick it out to Matt Nieto, who's already begging for the ball as he manages to plant his feet on the top of the key. This would have been a great decision for Ikeh. Matt loves taking those top of the key threes, and for this game, he managed to make five longbombs. But, there's a better option. Which leads us to...
CHOO CHOO A FREIGHT TRAIN IS ON HIS WAY. But wait, how in the world does Thirdy manage to get to the rim with as much force as he did? Yes, he's ridiculously strong and he dunked it on Basibas as if Basibas did something to him personally. But beyond those things, the UST defense was also at fault here.
First off, Oliver de Guzman wasn't able to locate anyone in the top of the key as he continued to stare at Ikeh. It left an opening for the Blue Eagles to make a top of the key three (Ma. Nieto) or someone could have cut and made an attack towards the rim (Hey there Thirdy!). Once Thirdy gets the ball, de Guzman is left but to stare once more, but this time with a face that says "Aw shit."
Second, well, with Regie Boy Basibas.. you can't completely fault him here. He continued to stay on Vince Tolentino (the correct decision), then when Thirdy started to run towards the rim, he faced him in preparation to contest. If only de Guzman managed to locate the cutter from the top, the chances of a dunk would have gone down. Instead, we ended up with this:
All of those factors showcased the following:
ALL FOUR of them are looking directly at Ikeh as if he can end the world by putting that ball in the hoop. Technically, this isn't wrong! The defense should have an idea of where the ball is. After all, the primary goal of a defense is to stop the basketball from going inside the basket.
But that's just one part of the task of defending in basketball. Getting to take note of the players, the ones doing the job of putting the ball in the basket, is something the Growling Tigers failed to do. They could have swiveled their heads to other directions to take note of possible cutters or shooters, but they didn't do that. Instead, they continued to stare at Ikeh as if he was some sort of supermodel.
Now, with Ikeh in possession of the basketball, he has four options. The first is to obviously just go towards the rim and get himself two points. But that wouldn't be wise considering there are four guys surrounding you. He's no Shaq nor Mbala, so he opts not to do that. Wise choice.
The second option is to pass it off to Anton Asistio, who's already asking for the ball the moment Ikeh manages to grab the rebound. That wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, but chances are, Faundo would have managed to recover and Anton would have been forced to set up a play with 14 seconds remaining. With that in mind, not the worst decision Ikeh's made (this, I am sure of).
The third option is to kick it out to Matt Nieto, who's already begging for the ball as he manages to plant his feet on the top of the key. This would have been a great decision for Ikeh. Matt loves taking those top of the key threes, and for this game, he managed to make five longbombs. But, there's a better option. Which leads us to...
CHOO CHOO A FREIGHT TRAIN IS ON HIS WAY. But wait, how in the world does Thirdy manage to get to the rim with as much force as he did? Yes, he's ridiculously strong and he dunked it on Basibas as if Basibas did something to him personally. But beyond those things, the UST defense was also at fault here.
First off, Oliver de Guzman wasn't able to locate anyone in the top of the key as he continued to stare at Ikeh. It left an opening for the Blue Eagles to make a top of the key three (Ma. Nieto) or someone could have cut and made an attack towards the rim (Hey there Thirdy!). Once Thirdy gets the ball, de Guzman is left but to stare once more, but this time with a face that says "Aw shit."
Second, well, with Regie Boy Basibas.. you can't completely fault him here. He continued to stay on Vince Tolentino (the correct decision), then when Thirdy started to run towards the rim, he faced him in preparation to contest. If only de Guzman managed to locate the cutter from the top, the chances of a dunk would have gone down. Instead, we ended up with this:
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| (Photo Credit: Christopher Cancio, The GUIDON) |
1. The importance of spacing. There's this idea that the spacing that teams create is solely so that shooters can get easier buckets and for post players to operate down low. That is false, as spacing actually benefits cutters a lot as well. Cutters are just as important as shooters in a pace and space offense. Their constant movement and aggressiveness is key for a team to find open, efficient looks.
2. The importance of offensive rebounding. It gives you second chances after a missed shot, that's an obvious thing already. But you're also able to use to space that was created off a team's initial action for your second chance opportunity. For this play, that was certainly the case as Thirdy and Ikeh took advantage of the space in the freethrow line area.
3. Chibueze Ikeh's improvement as a basketball player. Managing to grab the offensive rebound is already huge for Ikeh. But getting to make the best pass despite the myriad of options that he had with him? Major props.
4. Defending the ball is not enough. It's important, but it isn't everything. Aside from taking note of where the ball is, locating possible receivers is important as well. The pass is such a deadly weapon which offenses in the league are starting to use, and UST failed to defend such a possibility.
4. Defending the ball is not enough. It's important, but it isn't everything. Aside from taking note of where the ball is, locating possible receivers is important as well. The pass is such a deadly weapon which offenses in the league are starting to use, and UST failed to defend such a possibility.
5. The importance of cutting. Not cutting classes, folks (don't cut your classes, student-athletes), but cutting to the basket! When Ikeh grabbed the rebound, Thirdy immediately cut to the rim and the result was UTTER DESTRUCTION. BANG. DUNK IT ON HIS FACE. NOTHING CAN STOP HIM HE ALL THE WAY UP. MEET ME AT THE RIM, OH WAIT YOU TOO LATE. GOOD NIGHT. WE DONE. HERE'S DEANDRE FOR YOU.
Watch the entire play unfold here:
Video of screengrabs courtesy of ABS-CBN Sports and Action.THE. BEST. DUNK. IN. UAAP. SEASON. EVER. THIRDY LEGEN... wait for it.... DARY RAVENA!pic.twitter.com/QpKJJjBjIC— James Vitaliano (@jamesvitaliano) November 4, 2017
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