La Salle beat Far Eastern University (FEU), 58-51, to open their best-of-3 title series at the Araneta Coliseum last Thursday. If the Archers repeat in Game 2 today, coach Franz Pumaren will capture his fifth crown in seven years. If coach Koy’s Tamaraws equalize, the winner-take-all Game 3 will be played Thursday.
Joel said he probably won’t go to the game today.
"Baka akong malas," he mused. "I’d rather watch on TV at home and just intercede for Koy. The whole family will be at Araneta, except me."
Joel said the key to FEU squaring the series is composure.
"FEU can’t allow La Salle to start strong like in Game 1," continued Joel. "La Salle will try to blow you out early. If FEU can keep the game close, they can use their experience in the end. It’s hard to play catch-up against La Salle. You’re playing against a system–the players change but they play the same set offense and defense."
Joel said his brother wasn’t able to capitalize on FEU’s size advantage in Game 1.
"Koy had a big starting lineup but unless you create mismatches, it hardly means anything," pointed out Joel. "Arwind (Santos) didn’t get to post up because of La Salle’s defense and got the ball in the three-point area where La Salle wanted him. La Salle likes to take away your advantage by pressing and forcing you out of your offense. An option is to play small and try to match La Salle’s speed. But if Koy can create mismatches with a big lineup, he’ll be okay."
Joel said stopping La Salle’s Mac-Mac Cardona is crucial for FEU. "Kaya naman ni RJ (Rizada) si Cardona," he noted. "He just has to understand the urgency of the job. Dapat walang ibang iisipin si RJ. He must sacrifice his offense and everything else to just focus on Cardona. Maybe, pwede rin si Arwind on Cardona but that will take away from his offense."
Ateneo coaching consultant Norman Black, meanwhile, said unless FEU brings its A game on the floor today, it’s curtains for the Tamaraws.
Black, however, said the situation is far from hopeless. He listed a set of priorities for FEU–limit turnovers, get into the flow of their offense after breaking the press, hit the outside shot, raise their level of intensity, stay away from foul trouble and stop Cardona from getting off to a strong start.
"La Salle seemed to be in better condition in Game 1," said Black. "FEU lacked energy. La Salle can press from start to finish–they don’t get tired, they play the passing lanes very well and their defensive effort doesn’t affect their energy level. La Salle doesn’t give up too many points around the basket so FEU must hit the outside shot consistently. La Salle wasn’t a good rebounding team at the start but now, they’re rebounding much better. La Salle does a lot of things defensively–they like to press and mix up their defense, like sometimes they trap or double, sometimes they don’t. It’s important for FEU to get back their rhythm on offense after they break the press."
Black said both teams experimented with the zone early in the season but lately, they’ve almost exclusively played man-to-man.
"I’m happy for Franz who was my assistant coach for four years," said Black. "Just like I’m happy when my other former assistants like Derick (Pumaren), Al (Chua) Perry (Ronquillo) and Joseph (Uichico) do well. Franz took a lot of criticism when La Salle had a shaky start. But once he sold his system to his players and they began to respond positively, it’s been uphill for Franz. They’re almost unstoppable now."
Black said Koy has the option to put several players on Cardona–like Rizada or Jeff Chan or Santos. "Franz usually doesn’t start Cardona and Yeo together although they often finish the game together," said Black. "Cardona gets La Salle off to a good start and sets the tone. He brings a lot of energy to his team. Cardona is PBA-ready. It’s difficult to contain him because he’s so quick. But if you slow down Cardona, you slow down La Salle."