Miller gets Christmas wish early

MANILA, Philippines - Christmas came a few days early for Barako Bull veteran Willie Miller who got his holiday wish with the Energy Cola’s 99-86 win over Meralco in a PBA Philippine Cup contest at the Mall of Asia Arena last Sunday.

Miller, a two-time MVP, promised before the game, to go all out because Barako hadn’t won at all this month and the bleeding was profuse. The Energy Cola started the conference with back-to-back wins then slumped to lose six in a row. The win over Meralco ended the drought and raised Barako’s record to 3-6, equaling the Bolts’ slate.

“Coach Bong (Ramos) told us to persevere,” said the 36-year-old Miller, now in his 13th PBA season after stints with Red Bull, Talk ‘N’ Text, Alaska, Barangay Ginebra and Globalport. Miller said Ramos shared the story of the rock and sledgehammer that are encased in glass at the lobby of the San Antonio Spurs practice facility. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich put the rock and sledgehammer on display to remind his players that no matter how daunting the challenge, you will overcome if you persevere. It’s a reminder that hard work, persistence and determination will pay off in the end – you chip away until the rock breaks open.

In the previous game, Miller almost towed Barako to victory over Talk ‘N’ Text last Friday. He buried two triples in succession but missed three free throws down the stretch then guard Denok Miranda turned it over with the score tied 71-all, time down to about three seconds in regulation. The Tropa forced overtime and held on to win, 87-80. The loss spoiled center Dorian Pena’s second half numbers of seven points and 12 rebounds.

Closing out has been a problem for Barako whose average losing margin is 7.3 points. The Energy Cola lost to powerhouse contenders Petron and Ginebra, both by six, San Mig Coffee by two, Talk ‘N’ Text in overtime, Rain Or Shine by eight and Air 21 by 15. At least three of the losses could’ve gone the other way.

Pena, 36, said despite Barako’s record, it’s not a hopeless case. “I remember there was a team, I think it was Purefoods, that started out as poorly and still ended up winning the championship,” he said. “I know we can win. We’ve got two rookies (Jeric Fortuna and Carlo Lastimosa) who are killing everybody in practice. We’ve got veterans who know how to win. If we’re healthy and we focus, we’re dangerous.”

Pena said playing isn’t just about getting a paycheck. “It’s difficult adjusting to Barako,” he said. “We’re guys who come from different other teams. Maybe, when we were with our former teams, winning was easier. Nobody likes losing. That’s our motivation. We want to prove we’re competitive.”

Ramos, who took over from Rajko Toroman in the offseason, said snapping the losing streak was like splitting a large rock open after pounding it bit by bit, his inspiration from Popovich. But that’s not the end of the story. Ramos said he hopes the Energy Cola builds on the triumph over Meralco to create a winning attitude.  

 Ramos said hitting the triple is a key element in his system. “Our bigs aren’t post threats,” he said. “Dorian is a sealer who gets inside position but he isn’t a guy who backs in from the post. That’s why we shoot a lot of threes, to open up things inside. We like to set up our shooters for threes.” Not surprisingly, Barako leads the league in triple attempts with 30.5 a game and against Meralco, the Energy Cola knocked down 14-of-34, including three apiece from Miranda, Mick Pennisi and Mark Macapagal.

It was sweet redemption for Miranda, Miller and Pena who were among seven Barako players to score in double digits. The others were Pennisi, Macapagal, J. C. Intal and Rico Maierhofer. The balanced offense drove Meralco crazy and turned the game into a shootout. Meralco’s secret of success lies in defense and when the Bolts aren’t making stops, they’re in trouble. In Meralco’s three wins, opponents were held to an average of 76.7 points. In six losses, the Bolts yielded 90.5 a game.

  Miller got his Christmas wish. You can almost predict his New Year’s resolution – chip away persistently until the rock splits open.