Heart of a champion

Entering Game 7 of the Samsung Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup Finals at the Big Dome last Friday, it was clear what Red Bull and Talk ‘N Text had to do to capture the title. The stats told the story.

In Red Bull’s 13 wins this conference, the Thunder held its opponents to an average of 71 points. But in its seven losses, the average rose to 89.4. The almost 20-point differential was crucial. Coach Yeng Guiao knew that to win Game 7, Red Bull had to play the toughest defense it could. He knew that in Talk ‘N Text’s three defeats in the Finals, Jerald Honeycutt was held to a lowly 18.7 clip and in the Phone Pals’ three victories, the former Tulane University star erupted for an average of 27 points. So if Honeycutt is Talk ‘N Text’s yardstick of success, Guiao knew he had to be stopped last Friday.

In contrast, Talk ‘N Text’s 13 wins were fueled by high-octane offense–the kind that coach Bill Bayno turned into an art form at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV). The Pals averaged 87.8 points in those wins and only 78.4 in their nine setbacks.

It was like night and day. For Red Bull to win, its defense had to hold up. For Talk ‘N Text to win, its offense had to be in high gear.

Guiao, 43, laid out a plan to take the starch out of Talk ‘N Text’s offense in Game 7. He realized Tony Lang’s replacement Sean Lampley isn’t as prolific a scorer as the ex-Duke University standout. Lampley has difficulty creating his shot, unlike the Pals’ Pete Mickael. If Talk ‘N Text plays single coverage, Lampley’s opportunities to score are severely limited. His chances to score come mainly from open spot-up outside jumpers or putbacks. So Guiao told Lampley to concentrate on two things–rebounding and defense. At least, he could make use of his size. His points would be a bonus.

In the fourth period last Friday, Guiao put Lampley on Mickael. Junthy Valenzuela, Edmund Reyes, and Lordy Tugade had previously taken turns shadowing Mickael. Lampley provided a different defensive look for Mickael. The switch was a stroke of genius. It allowed Guiao to keep his boys from doubling Mickael since Lampley was a match for the former University of Cincinnati Bearcat, size-wise. Doubling Mickael or Honeycutt would’ve opened opportunities for Bayno’s three-point shooters–something that Guiao was determined to deny.

DaVonn Harp on Honeycutt was another key defensive adjustment. Since Honeycutt often starts his move on offense facing the basket, Guiao had Harp bodying him up from the wings. If Honeycutt managed to put a step on Harp, Julius Nwosu waited in the lane as the second line of defense. The trick worked like a charm. Honeycutt shot only 6-of-16 from the field and finished with a Finals-low of 12 points last Friday.

The low scores in Game 7 stood out as proof that Guiao had the upper hand in dictating the terms of engagement. Talk ‘N Text was held to only nine points in the first period and 27 at the half. The final count was a testimony to Guiao’s handiwork–67-60. In the conference, Talk ‘N Text never won a game scoring less than 77. In fact, the Pals scored at least 80 points in 12 of its 13 wins. There was no way Talk ‘N Text could beat Red Bull by hitting in the 60s. Guiao knew it and he made it happen.

Throughout the Finals, Bayno repeatedly boasted his boys were the best-conditioned in the league. Looking at the hulking Honeycutt, you wonder if Bayno was just talking the talk. Somehow, he psyched his players–particularly, the Pals’ quick-stepping guards–to believe it. And it probably raised doubts on Red Bull’s players as to their capability to keep pace with Felix (The Cat) Belano, Ibet Demape and Kenny (Special K) Evans.

In Talk ‘N Text’s three Finals wins, Bayno’s guards–especially Evans–played beautiful music. Evans averaged 11.3 points in the wins but only 2.5 in the four losses. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the key to Bayno’s uptempo attack was the pace that his guards set. They put pressure on Red Bull’s ballcarriers and created turnovers. They were the trigger points, the energy bunnies.

Guiao knew that to neutralize Bayno’s guards, Jimwell Torion and Willie Miller had to upstage them. Tora-Tora and "Killer" Miller had to step up. If Evans was cocky, Miller had to be cockier. If Demape was gutsy, Torion had to be gutsier. Guiao’s guards just had to match their Pals counterparts’ intensity, fire, and energy.

Guiao knew he couldn’t win Game 7 by trying to outscore Talk ‘N Text. Not with Lampley. So his gameplan was anchored on defense–limit the Pals’ outside shooting opportunities by sticking to a single coverage, shackle Honeycutt at all costs, establish Nwosu’s intimidating presence in the lane, rotate fresh defenders on Mickael (reserving Lampley for the final quarter), sprint back on defense to prevent transition baskets, switch from zone to man and back to keep Talk ‘N Text guessing, and cut off the baseline to prevent Mark Telan from sneaking in for backdoor layups.

In a Game 7, execution is critical. And that’s where experience comes in–the ability to withstand the pressure of the moment. Last Friday, Red Bull looked Talk ‘N Text in the eye and didn’t blink.

Guiao shuffled the cards and Bayno was reduced to playing catchup. That made the difference in the end.