The Finale: ADMU vs DLSU Game 3

By now, we all know that there will be a game 3. We saw what happened. Ateneo went balls to the wall crazy with shooting and La Salle sent them crashing back down to earth. Game 1 went to Ateneo, Game 2 went to La Salle. For the first time in 15 years, there is a game 3 in the greatest rivalry in Philippine sports, for all the marbles.

Here is what is on deck for Ateneo and La Salle:

ATENEO BLUE EAGLES

Ateneo came out of that dugout on fire, finishing the 1^st quarter with 32 big points. Every shot that the Blue Eagles took turned to gold, and it looked like a celebration in Katipunan was in the works. La Salle chipped away at the lead, until they took it for good during the 3^rd quarter where Ateneo shot a measly 8 points.

Plain and simple, the Blue Eagles lost the flame that made them win game 1. What was worse for them was that they lost it in the middle of the game. Team ball and 3^rd quarter dominance were Ateneo's calling card all season long, and it was not there in game 2.

For Ateneo to take the title home to Katipunan, here are the key adjustments to the game.

1. COME OUT GUNS BLAZING, AND SUSTAIN IT

One thing the Blue Eagles can look back on is the first quarter of game 2. Everyone and their mother saw that Ateneo waxed hot as they started the game with a 64.71% clip, on the shoulders of Anton Asistio's 3 triples. From here on in, the law of averages caught up with them and brought them a 38.34 FG% at the end of the game, still below their average. When their shooting went down, they ran a lot of isolation plays that ultimately doomed them.

The secret to Ateneo's high field goal percentage is the team basketball system that Coach Tab Baldwin installed, swinging the ball and looking for the best possible shot. Guns blazing does not mean chuck threes until the end of time, it simply means that you look for an open shot and take it.

2. STICK TO THE SYSTEM THAT WON YOU 13 STRAIGHT

La Salle is a stacked team. Man for man, they have the advantage against Ateneo; yet Ateneo finished the elimination round as the top seed. Selfless basketball won game 1 for Ateneo. Isaac Go's dagger is a proof of that. They do not need to deviate from the system, just throw out a couple of variations of what won you 13 straight. Watch game tapes, not just against La Salle but also the ones where you won based on system and will. Find out how Matt Nieto gets open to shoot that long ball. Look for ways to free up Isaac Go for an easy shot. Thirdy Ravena as facilitator was a good idea, find ways how to sustain it all game long.

Defensively, Ateneo is disciplined enough to stay in front of their man, play physical (without going overboard), and deny a good pass. During that wild 1^st quarter, the defense gave La Salle nothing, blocking access to shooters and choking the passing lanes. The number 1 defensive team in the league should live up to its name. Matchups also matter. Putting Vince Tolentino on Aljun Melecio is NOT a good match up. Vince needs to be put against opposing bigs. Aaron Black and Gian Mamuyac are enough to give the La Salle guards a hard time.

3. DO NOT GET RATTLED

Mike Nieto said in the press conference after game 1 that they are now accustomed to the pressure. Game 2 was a far cry from that. After that Ben Mbala dunk, La Salle went on a 60-32 tear that took the lead from Ateneo for good. The Blue Eagles have come back from critical situations, UP and 2 games vs FEU come to mind. What seemed to be unwinnable games turned to their favor because of their pace, teamwork, as well as the heart that they have shown (we will get to this later).

4. IN-GAME ADJUSTMENTS

During the 5-peat era, Coach Norman Black proved that he was the best coach in the UAAP by mastering the art of in-game adjustments. You would see a different Ateneo team after the halftime break or 4^th quarter because he makes the necessary responses to whatever the other teams throw at him. One gripe about coach Tab Baldwin is that he is set in his ways come game time. Sure, there are some adjustments here and there but once it is figured out, it is hard for him to adjust. For example, when Aaron Black is your hot hand and the only one scoring to keep the game alive, you keep him on the floor even if you have a set rotation ready prior to the game. The tides were turning in Ateneo's favor but all of that was for naught when Aaron Black was subbed out. If the in-game adjustments are on point, Ateneo will be a hard team to stop.

5. ONE BIG FIGHT

This is the last game of the season, win or lose. Throw all the statistics out the window. Ateneo is no longer the number 1 seed; they are a team competing against the defending champions for all the marbles. There is no more game to save your energy and effort for (this is literally the case for graduating players Chibueze Ikeh, Vince Tolentino, and Kris Porter), and the Blue Eagles need to show that heart in order for them to win that first championship since 2012.

DE LA SALLE GREEN ARCHERS

What seemed to be a lost championship turned out to be their best game this season. Ben Mbala has affected this game by emphatically slamming it home, and it gave the Green Archers all the momentum that they needed. Kib Montalbo and Andrei Caracut, virtual non-factors in game 1 were ANIMO personified, hitting big shots that sustained that run for La Salle.

Championship poise and determination are what carried La Salle to force a game 3, and they showed Ateneo that if they were to win the championship, they have to pry it from the Green Archers' cold dead hands.

Here is what is needed for La Salle to get that back-to-back:

1. BEN MBALA AND COMPANY

La Salle is a team. Ben Mbala cannot do it alone. Two players cannot carry the load for La Salle if they expect to repeat this season. The X-factors Caracut, Montalbo, Santillan, and Prince Rivero all need to do their part. Using Ben Mbala at the triple threat worked wonders in the second half, with almost every play going through him. Set screens for the shooters and slashers. There will be a man open since Mbala is thrown extra bodies every time he touches the ball. Moving will ensure that Ateneo recovering on defense will be hard, and there will be an open shot.

2. DICTATE THE PACE

Both instances that La Salle won, it was a fast-paced game. You cannot play slow and deliberate basketball against Ateneo because it is not your identity. You need to strike at every possible opportunity, specially in transition. Ateneo's weakness this season has been fast-paced games, and game 2 is a solid testament to that.

3. PULL ATENEO OUT OF THEIR SYSTEM

La Salle has done a good job of getting Ateneo's big men into foul trouble, and this disrupts the rotation. When Ikeh and Go are saddled with fouls, they force Kris Porter to come into the game and no offense to Porter, but Mbala is simply too much to handle. Matt Nieto in game 2 was in a funk, forcing up shots to stop the bleeding for Ateneo. When the offense bogs down, he is the escape hatch. La Salle made sure that nothing will be easy for Matt in game 2, and they need to sustain that defensive intensity. Mayhem defense needs to be at its best in game 3.

4, BEWARE OF THE THIRD/FOURTH QUARTER BLITZ

Much as La Salle made sure that an 8-point game of Mbala will never happen again, expect Tab Baldwin and the Blue Eagles to make sure that their machine stays humming all game long in game 3. The timely substitutions and rotation pattern of the Blue Eagles ensure that everyone is fresh in the end game. The drawback here is sometimes, it renders the players cold. The Green Archers need to take note of that and pair it with their defense to avoid an Ateneo run that can send the whole of Taft avenue crying on Sunday.

5. ANIMO LA SALLE

You are the defending champions. You survived game 2, and you know that momentum is on your side. More than the Xs and Os, the La Salle team needs to bring that heart and swagger to the Araneta Coliseum on Sunday. Ateneo is a hungry team and it will not lay down for you. If you feel like you deserve it, you damn well make sure that you take it.

This has been the best Ateneo-La Salle series everyone has seen in a while. Safe to say that the rivalry has been rekindled, and that fire will reach its maximum temperature on Sunday, with the UAAP championship hanging in the balance.