Back to the salt mines

After a seven-day break, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) returns with a bang at the Big Dome today.

A twinbill headlines the PBA’s Easter Sunday offering and it’s a dandy. Unbeaten San Miguel Beer attempts to extend its eight-game winning streak and faces Coca-Cola in the first game while FedEx takes on Red Bull in the nightcap.

The Beermen are off and running to a rampaging start in the Fiesta Conference. Coach Joseph Uichico has masterfully harnessed his resources to produce a cohesive unit that thrives on teamwork and unselfish play. Import Art Long is in the hub of things and must be credited for his outstanding contributions on both ends.

San Miguel’s locals make life easier for Long by stepping up whenever he’s shackled. Of course, it’s not often that Long is silenced by the defense. Not a single rookie is in Uichico’s lineup although he brought in Dale Singson and Gilbert Malabanan from other teams in the offseason. Danny Seigle’s comeback from injury and Danny Ildefonso’s return to MVP form are key factors in San Miguel’s surge.

The Tigers lost a 27-point decision to San Miguel in their first meeting this season. It was a painful lesson for Coca-Cola and you can be sure coach Chot Reyes is itching to make up for that debacle.

Tigers import Mark Sanford got caught up in a mental war with Long in that game and struggled with 19 points, his conference low. Since the setback, Sanford has averaged 41.3 points. He’s looking to repay Long for his misery. Poch Juinio didn’t play against San Miguel because of an injury but he’s back with a vengeance. He’ll play a key role tonight, probably matching up against Ildefonso and bringing the defense to the perimeter. Another frontliner expected to log major minutes is Reynel Hugnatan who has become the Tigers’ primary import defender. Hugnatan scored a breakout 18 points in Coca-Cola’s 107-102 decision over Red Bull last week.

The other matchups to watch are Jeffrey Cariaso versus Seigle at the two-spot and Johnny Abarrientos versus Olsen Racela at point guard.

At FedEx, coach Joe Lipa inherits a team that’s searching for an identity. If there’s anyone who can build character in the squad, it’s Lipa. He has the ingredients of a fighting machine — youth, experience, height and bulk. The Express has an array of shooters, penetrators and speedsters. What the team lacks is toughness in defense. In the Express‚ six losses so far, they gave up an average of 106.3 points. There hasn’t been a defeat where the Express didn’t surrender less than 100 points.

In games through last March 28, the average production of each team is 92.9 points — the highest since the 98.1 clip in 1995 or nine seasons ago. It’s an encouraging sign because the increased output indicates players are finding more ways to score even with the field goal percentage at 42.7. That’s why the games are more exciting and the fans are responding through glowing attendance records.

The soft spot is free throw shooting. This season, the foul shot virus has dropped the league clip to 66.3 percent — the lowest ever. In 1976, the norm was 67.8 percent. It reached a peak of 80 percent in 1992.

Despite the dip in the rate of charity conversions, the league is experiencing a boost in production. Three-point percentage has also dropped to an all-time low of 29.2 percent (the highest ever was 35.5 percent in 1992).

Fans enjoy high-scoring games and detest players who don’t try hard on defense. This season, they’re getting the best of both ends. Scoring is up but shooting percentages are down. Defense seems to be working but players are taking more shots — a combined 83.1 attempts a game, the highest in 12 years — to make up for the low shooting percentages.

The PBA’s decision to outlaw illegal defense is reaping dividends. Coaches are able to mix and match defensive tactics to confuse the offense. The zone has become a major weapon in defense without limiting scoring opportunities.

It’s no surprise that the PBA is back on track as a stellar attraction.