Burning Questions Part II: Will there be a Game 3?

(Photo Credit: Angel Marquez, GoArchers.com

Game 1 is now history. All “What-if” questions and shoulda coulda woulda are now moot, as the Ateneo Blue Eagles pull off a 76-70 win in a highly physical game against the De La Salle Green Archers. The game has been broken down in Quick fire, so let us briefly answer the questions laid out for the two teams prior to the finals, as well as ask some new questions heading into game 2.

DE LA SALLE GREEN ARCHERS

Ben Mbala was proved to be human by the Ateneo defense. He got 12 rebounds, but scored only 8 points on 3/7 field goal shooting. All game long he had to deal with 2 (sometimes even 3) defenders hounding him, forcing him to kick out to shooters and let them handle the offensive load. It also did not help that he was saddled with 4 fouls, playing more tentative that he already was. Ricci Rivero was also in foul trouble for most of the game, finishing with only 10 points. Outside those two, no one else got to double digits in scoring. Technically speaking, La Salle did not play a bad game. They actually had more field goals made (26 vs 25 of ADMU), but they did not get to the line as much as Ateneo (30 vs 19). The game's pace also favored the slow and deliberate offense of Ateneo more, rated at 74.93 possessions.

La Salle's silver lining in this game was Aljun Melecio, who scored 24 big points (15 points coming from the 3 ball). This is his highest scoring output since his bout with dengue. They also defended the number 1 3 point shooting team well forcing them to a paltry 6/22 (27.27%).

Here are the questions heading into game 2:

1. Will the usual suspects bounce back in game 2?

	SEASON AVERAGE	FINALS GAME 1
BEN MBALA	26	8
RICCI RIVERO	14.1	10
SANTI SANTILLAN	8.4	7
ANDREI CARACUT	7.4	0
JOLLO GO	6.5	0

In the second round matchup of Ateneo and La Salle, as well as the Final 4 game of La Salle against Adamson, Jollo Go was a game-changer. His timely 3-point shooting is a weapon, most specially when the Archers' backs are against the wall. Caracut is also a good role player, hitting timely shots. These two guards have disappeared against Ateneo, laying fat eggs against the stingy Blue Eagle defense. Of the 8 players who scored last Saturday, 5 were big men. The wings and the guards have their work cut out for them.

When talking about the usual suspects, the Mayhem press also comes to mind. You know that this is not working when the Ateneo ballhandlers can cross halfcourt with only one man breaking the press. The La Salle faithful better pray that Coach Aldin Ayo has more variations of that Mayhem press to extend the series one more game.

2. Will the Green Archers reclaim the aggressor's role?

Don't get me wrong, La Salle was aggressive. There were only three things wrong with their aggresion.

First, their aggression was a response to Ateneo's. Ateneo played the aggressor's role while La Salle countered, a reversal to their roles in the past 2 meetings. The result was a 30-19 free throw disparity that ultimately doomed La Salle. This lack of aggression held them scoreless in the last 2:32 of the game.

Second, a lot of that La Salle aggression was misplaced. La Salle fouled Ateneo 25 times (to be fair Ateneo fouled 22 times, but spent more time on the line). A lot of it were also extracurricular activities that merited free throws (and ball possession, in the case of Melecio's pinching).

Third, the referees weren't taking any of it. They were letting a lot of plays go, some of it would have merited fouls in the elimination round. The referees are letting the players dictate the game, and they were consistent all game long.

3. Can La Salle force a rubber match on Sunday?

La Salle has never lost back to back games since Aldin Ayo and Ben Mbala came on board, and they are undefeated at the Araneta Coliseum this season. This should be cakewalk right? WRONG. Statistics hardly ever matter when it comes to Ateneo vs. La Salle, and the Green Archers need to prove that they are the better team on the court. On paper, La Salle is more skilled man to man, but Ateneo's sum is better than all of its parts. La Salle is the defending champion and they need to play like it this Wednesday to force a winner-take-all game 3. The real test for Aldin Ayo and his crew here is to bounce back. Sure, they lost twice in the elimination round. After their loss against UP, they faced a winless UST team. After their squeaker against Ateneo, they faced against FEU who had some growing pains with a new coach. There was really no incentive as they were not threatened. This time, they have to bounce back against their archrivals, the number 1 team after the elimination round, for all the marbles. This is a tall task but it there is anybody who can do it, it's La Salle.