Managing minutes

In a war of attrition, the team with fresher legs down the stretch will usually win a close contest. That puts pressure on coaches to manage the minutes of key players so that when it comes to making the marginal plays with time running out, they’ll be ready to execute with gas in their tank.

The PBA Philippine Cup Finals has turned out to be a battle of wear and tear. Meralco took Game One, 93-86 after 10 lead changes and 11 ties. San Miguel Beer claimed Game Two, 95-94, with 12 lead changes and nine ties. The Bolts won Game Three, 93-89 with 15 lead changes and 16 ties. Any one of those encounters could’ve easily gone the other way. In Game One, San Miguel led 58 percent of the way and lost. In Game Two, Meralco was on top 50 percent of the route and lost. In Game Three, the Bolts were ahead 50 percent of the distance and held on to win.

San Miguel relies heavily on June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez who’re averaging a combined 41.3 points in the Finals. In Game Three, two San Miguel starters Chris Ross and Rodney Brondial went scoreless so coach Jorge Gallent made sure the vacuum was filled with his shock troopers who delivered 47 points. Fajardo played the entire second half without relief and it took a toll in the homestretch. Meralco threw a battery of defenders against Fajardo who was denied the entry pass, pushed out of the box, doubled teamed, banged up and harassed from start to finish. Fajardo wound up with a series-low 12 points and seven turnovers. Perez was also held to a series-low 18 points, shooting .375 from the field and .167 from the line in the fourth quarter. Mo Tautuaa, who was lethal with 19 points, took only two shots and went zero in the payoff period. As a team, San Miguel fired 19 points, shot .261 from the floor and 40 percent from the stripe in the last frame where four Bolts scored compared to three Beermen.

In three Finals games so far, the five statistical barometers have been field goal attempts, offensive rebounds, turnovers, turnover points and fastbreak points. The team with the edge in those departments won every contest. In Game One, Meralco had more field goal attempts, 88-72, more offensive rebounds, 20-14, less turnovers, 14-19, more turnover points, 18-12 and more fastbreak points, 17-13. In Game Two, San Miguel had more field goal attempts, 79-72, more offensive rebounds, 16-14, less turnovers, 10-17, more turnover points, 26-18 and more fastbreak points, 20-12. In Game Three, Meralco had more field goal attempts, 84-72, more offensive rebounds, 22-18, less turnovers, 10-15, more turnover points, 20-13 and more fastbreak points, 9-3. It’s evident that basketball is a possession game. The more possessions, the more chances to score.

Game Four is critical at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight. It’s a virtual must-win for San Miguel as a loss will put the Beermen in a precarious 1-3 hole. A win by San Miguel will make it a best-of-three affair.