Uichico's adjustments

Despite Talk ‘N’ Text’s lopsided 19-point win over Barangay Ginebra in Game 1 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals, Alaska coach Tim Cone boldly reminded doomsday soothsayers not to count out the Kings.

Cone issued the warning before Game 2 at the Cuneta Astrodome last Friday.

“I don’t think you can write off Ginebra after just one game in the finals,” said Cone, working as a guest analyst on the TV broadcast panel. “What I’ve learned from coaching against Jong (Uichico) is he’s a master of adjustments. It’s the influence of coach Ron (Jacobs). Jong is an expert at mixing and matching his players on the floor. He looks at the mismatch, exploits it, moves to another mismatch when the opposing team adjusts and does it all over again. He knows what has to be done to win a game. It’s just a matter of his players executing what he wants.”

Sure enough, Uichico made brilliant adjustments in Game 2 which Ginebra won, 108-106, coming from behind 15.

First, he threw a slew of defenders against the Texters’ import Paul Harris starting with Ronald Tubid. When Harris got comfortable jacking up jumpers over the shorter Tubid, Uichico quickly went to another defender – Willie Wilson who didn’t play a minute in Game 1. Uichico also tapped Nate Brumfield and Rudy Hatfield to hound Harris but the player who had the most success against the former Syracuse star was rookie John Wilson of Jose Rizal University.

Wilson had at least two pokes at the ball in Harris’ possession and disrupted his dribble-penetration to the basket. Harris picked up his fifth and sixth fouls off Wilson. The fifth came on a push as Wilson grabbed a rebound under the Talk ‘N’ Text basket and the sixth was a shove with two hands after Wilson connected on a driving lay-up. On TV, Cone said Harris could’ve been called for a flagrant 1 because he went after the man, not the ball, with the two-handed shove. Harris managed to score only a point in the fourth period before fouling out. With Harris out of the equation in the final minutes, Ginebra got rid of a pesky defender, rebounder and scorer.

Second, Brumfield did a lot more passing than in Game 1. Not comfortable posting up on the low block, Brumfield likes to start his attack from top of the key. That’s fine with Uichico for as long as Brumfield knows when to dish off once the defense collapses in the paint. Clearly, Brumfield went through drills at practice to get the timing just right for the kick. In Game 2, he was credited with eight assists compared to four in the series opener.

With Brumfield picking up assists, Talk ‘N’ Text’s defense eased up in crowding the Oklahoma Baptist import. As a result, he found it a lot easier to score, improving from 10 points in Game 1 to 27 in Game 2.

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Third, Uichico went to a three-big lineup to stay competitive off the boards. Ginebra is known for employing a three-guard formation to fuel its run-and-gun, razzle-dazzle game. But against Talk ‘N’ Text which is the league’s No. 1 team in transition points, Uichico figured a three-small combination might not work. In Game 1, Talk ‘N’ Text killed Ginebra off the boards with the Texters’ bigs dominating in the interior. Talk ‘N’ Text had more rebounds, 63-46, and second chance points, 17-10.

In Game 2, Uichico rotated Hatfield, Willie Wilson, Brumfield and Eric Menk to keep three bigs on the court. The results proved Uichico right with the adjustment. The Kings took more boards, 49-42, and scored more second chance points, 12-9.

Fourth, Uichico brought out Menk as a low post threat. Menk didn’t play the entire semifinal series against Smart Gilas. Uichico preferred to go with the taller Yancy de Ocampo against Marcus Douthit instead. It could be that Uichico wanted to preserve Menk for Talk ‘N’ Text. In Game 1, Menk played sparingly, scoring five points in 12 minutes, as Uichico slowly broke him back into the flow. But in Game 2, Menk was back in fighting form, delivering 15 points, four critical offensive rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes. Menk’s ability to post up gave Ginebra another offensive option and drew the defense away from Brumfield and the Kings’ spot-up shooters.

Fifth, Uichico put pressure on the Texters’ guards from the start. Mike Cortez was aggressive in testing the smaller Jimmy Alapag’s defense and Rob Labagala went toe-to-toe with Jason Castro in neutralizing his speed. Alapag had a slow start, going scoreless on 0-of-4 from the field in the first half, but came alive in the fourth period to bang in 13 of his 17. His three-point shot in the dying seconds could’ve bailed out Talk ‘N’ Text.

Sixth, Uichico played to Brumfield’s strengths, not his weaknesses. Down the stretch, Uichico kept Brumfield on the bench when Ginebra played defense. He put Brumfield back on the court when the Kings had the ball. The realization of a player’s strong and weak points is critical particularly in situations where a possession could mean winning or losing the game.

Seventh, Uichico took away Talk ‘N’ Text’s continuity with its second unit. In Game 1, the Texters’ bench contributed 39 points to Ginebra’s 27. It was the reverse in the rematch as the Kings relievers poured in 47 points to Talk ‘N’ Text’s 36.

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Eighth, Uichico made sure Talk ‘N’ Text wouldn’t get away with too many easy transition baskets. Ginebra played with more resolve and conviction in sprinting back on defense in Game 2. The Texters had a huge 21-9 advantage in fastbreak points in Game 1 but in Game 2, Ginebra enjoyed a 19-12 edge.

In Game 2, Talk ‘N’ Text shot better from the field, .474 to Ginebra’s .463, and knocked down more triples, 9-4. But the Kings had two more field goal attempts and hit seven more free throws. Ginebra’s control of the boards was key as it limited Talk ‘N’ Text’s possessions and gave the Kings the opportunity to dictate the tempo.

Cone said to win Game 2, Ginebra had to keep in mind the three Rs – rushing won’t do it (patience is a virtue), respond to situations with pivotal adjustments and resist the temptation of playing Talk ‘N’ Text’s tempo. Sure enough, the Kings methodically broke down Talk ‘N’ Text’s defense, made key adjustments during the game (particularly in defending Harris and using a three-big combination) and didn’t dance to the Texters’ beat.

Cone credited Ginebra’s young guns, John Wilson and Labagala, for staying upright throughout the dramatic contest although they both missed two free throws down the stretch – but then, so did Willie Miller. Their emergence should motivate the veterans like Tubid, Miller and Mark Caguioa to do their share in the coming games.

But wait, Talk ‘N’ Text is far from finished. Note that in Game 2, the Texters were only a three-point shot away from a win despite a super effort by Ginebra. Coach Chot Reyes will surely make adjustments in Game 3 in Puerto Princesa tonight. The Texters’ 12-game winning streak came to an abrupt end last Friday and they won’t take that sitting down.