Red Bulls Purefoods

Did you say even? I’m afraid it’s the other way around.

With the way Red Bull has opened a 2-0 lead in the ongoing championship series of the San Mig Coffee PBA Fiesta Conference, it looks like the pre-finals preview that both were evenly matched, is turning into a myth. But then again, you can’t blame the experts for thinking this way. They based their forecasts on what they saw on paper as two teams with balanced line-ups.

But the one "small" thing that they didn’t see were the smallest guys in Red Bull’s line-up who have stood out in Games 1 and 2. But this, too, is understandable. After all, Topex Robinson and Celino Cruz are relative unknowns and have never been compared to be at par with Purefoods’ Roger Yap, Noy Castillo, and Paul Artadi.

Game 1 was a classic display of backcourt pressure. Yeng Guiao and his coaching staff did their homework when they recognized that the point guards of Purefoods were not natural ball handlers who could set up a half-court game naturally. The ploy? Press all game long in the backcourt with your peskiest point guards in Robinson, Cruz and a little bit of Torion. Robinson and Cruz were great in applying pressure to Yap that they couldn’t get into the rhythm of setting up the offense for Purefoods. Yap was forced to give up the ball early in the offense, at times passing the ball even before crossing the half-court line. The result? 32 turnovers! The sad part was that Purefoods didn’t adjust to the situation. But my guess is that they didn’t see it necessary since the game was close despite all those turnovers.

Defense is obviously turning out to be the X-factor of the series. Don’t look at the stats. This will reveal a fairly even match-up on both sides if you look at the FG% and all that stuff. But focus on the defensive stops in the end game. Red Bull went on a 15-2 scoring run midway through the fourth quarter of Game 2 on the way to a blowout win. And this was anchored on a defense that applied pressure on the ball carrier and force Purefoods to look for their second, third and fourth options on offense even before it could set up. While Purefoods made the adjustments to deal with the backcourt pressure, they were swarmed with a Red Bull halfcourt defense that was solid.

This made Purefoods so frustrated and this obviously had an effect on their defense that suddenly went blank in the pay-off period. When you give up a fastbreak dunk to James Penny, concede open three point baskets of Larry Fonacier and Penny, and can’t keep up with Robinson running circles around your defense and repeatedly spotting the open man, you’re in deep trouble. Purefoods ended up giving Red Bull so much confidence that everyone sent in by Guiao was almost certain to score if and when given the opportunity.

Red Bull’s deeper bench is now surely being felt by Purefoods. Five Bulls delivered in double digits led by Lordy Tugade’s 30 points. Four players had double digits in Game 1 with another just a field goal away from his tenth point. Red Bull is strong down to its 12th player, and the impressive thing about this is that they’re all ready and pumped to play when sent in by Guiao. Thus, it isn’t surprising to see the likes of rookies Fonacier, Leo Najorda, and Paolo Bugia seeing playing time, and giving the others that valuable rest on the bench. Haven’t you noticed that Red Bull appears to be fresher in the end game while Purefoods looks tired?

And this brings me to another department where Red Bull is enjoying an edge: coaching. Guiao has been known to come up with surprises when he mixes up his line-up and combinations on the floor. His player rotation has kept his starters well-rested and has also given the reserves the confidence to get the job done.

Where is the San Miguel scouting troop that shares info with each other for all the SMC-supported squads? It isn’t over ‘til it’s over, and I’m sure the San Miguel management is not going to let Coach Ryan Gregorio go through this on his own. I can already see the scouts of the other San Miguel teams joining Gregorio’s staff in trying to break down Red Bull.

The small guys, defense, deep bench and coaching. These will be the main reasons why Red Bull will win the championship. But you never know. Will Purefoods have a reply of their own?

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Time-out: Happy birthday to my brother Henry! Congratulations to my sister Joy for passing the diplomate exam for I.M.! >>> You can reach me at [email protected]