It ain’t over, Chua tells fans

MANILA, Philippines - Ginebra San Miguel coach Alfrancis Chua yesterday assured the Barangay multitude that despite losing Game 1 to Alaska in a blowout, the PBA Commissioner’s Cup best-of-five Finals is far from over and reminiscent of American Revolution naval hero John Paul Jones’ famous quote under siege, said the team hasn’t begun to fight.

“The battle isn’t over,” said Chua. “We’re just starting.” Game 2 is set 7:30 tonight at the SM MOA Arena.

Chua said the first period decided the outcome of Game 1 as both teams tallied 18 points apiece in the second quarter and Ginebra outscored Alaska, 24-21 in the third and 22-20 in the fourth. “We had open looks but couldn’t connect,” he said. “Our poor start killed us. They scored 46 points at the half, not bad for us. If they scored 60, that would’ve been disastrous. We tied them in the second period and outscored them in the entire second half.”

Chua can draw inspiration from two teams that came back from Game 1 blowouts to clinch their series in the NBA playoffs this season. Memphis lost Game 1 to the Los Angeles Clippers by 21 then bounced back from a 0-2 deficit to sweep the next four meetings. Chicago bowed to Brooklyn by 17 in Game 1 then recovered to oust the Nets in seven. Chua hopes to replicate what the Grizzlies and Bulls did.

There were sporadic runs ignited by Ginebra after falling behind by 30 at 54-24 early in the third period before a crowd of 19,478 at the Big Dome last Wednesday. A 7-0 bomb cut the gap to 23 and another 9-2 blast trimmed it to 20. In the fourth quarter, an 8-0 surge reduced the margin to 15 at 75-60 with 6:06 left. Ginebra’s last gasp came via an 8-2 binge that sliced the lead to 11 at 79-68, time down to 2:59. Alaska’s Sonny Thoss netted eight of Alaska’s last 10 points to seal it, 87-70.

Alaska’s fiery start left Ginebra in a shambles as the Barangay couldn’t get its offense untracked, missing all nine three-point attempts and hitting only 2-of-24 from the field in the first period. Aces reserve guard R. J. Jazul scored seven points, one more than Ginebra’s entire output in the first 12 minutes, as Alaska zoomed ahead, 28-6.

The key to Alaska’s win was its unforgiving defense, limiting Ginebra to 31% field goal shooting and only 70 points. Ginebra is 0-6 when it has scored 80 or less in the conference. In the Talk ‘N’ Text semifinal series, Ginebra averaged 106.3 points in three wins and 79.5 in two losses. The Aces congested the lane by packing the paint with bodies, leaving few opportunities for Ginebra to score on put-backs and penetrations. And when Ginebra center Vernon Macklin had the ball at the post, he was immediately doubled, restricting his vision to pass. When Macklin managed to find a teammate, the defense quickly recovered to close out on Ginebra’s shooters. The inability to create floor space made it difficult for Macklin to power his way to the rim.

The Aces defense road-blocked Ginebra’s passing lanes and not even L. A. Tenorio could establish control as the chief facilitator. Tenorio finished with only two assists and as a team, Ginebra dropped 13 dimes compared to Alaska’s 25 with Jvee Casio and Cyrus Baguio contributing five apiece.

Alaska’s bench was on fire from start to finish, outscoring the Ginebra relievers, 37-29. Seven Aces logged at least 20 minutes compared to five for Ginebra. Coach Luigi Trillo shuffled his players like a card shark and kept fresh legs on the floor to muzzle Ginebra’s transition attack. In the end, the Aces had more fastbreak points, 12-7, with six players scoring in double figures to only two for Ginebra.

Unlike in the Texters series, Ginebra veterans Kerby Raymundo and Jay-Jay Helterbrand were quiet last Wednesday. Raymundo averaged 14.6 points and Helterbrand 12.2 in five semifinal games against the Tropa. In Game 1, Raymundo chipped in nine points and Helterbrand seven. Starters Chris Ellis and Mac Baracael were a combined 0-of-13 from the floor to compound Chua’s woes.

Ginebra has now lost three in a row to Alaska this conference, losing 84-69 and 102-93 in the eliminations before the blowout in Game 1. How to burst the bubble is Ginebra’s challenge while Alaska shouldn’t dwell on winning nine of its last 10 outings to stay focused and aggressive for Game 2.