How Air21 did it

Air21 coach Bo Perasol couldn’t ask anything more from his players who outdid themselves in bringing down Magnolia for the right to play Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Fiesta Conference finals starting Wednesday.

In last Friday’s semifinal clincher, the Express trailed by eight at the start of the fourth period then stepped on the gas to leave the Beverage Masters gasping for breath in the homestretch. 

Magnolia got off to a hot start, sprinting to a 29-18 lead at the end of the first period. Olsen Racela hit 12 points and Danny Seigle 10 to pace coach Siot Tanquingcen’s scorers after two quarters as the Beverage Masters took a 49-40 advantage.  More importantly, Magnolia held Gary David to just three points.

Perasol said the Express got too cocky.

“We thought Magnolia would just roll over and die,” said Perasol. “We didn’t play our game in the first half. Luckily, we were able to recover.”

In the early going, Magnolia kept the scores low and invited Air21 to move inside where the Beverage Masters stood their ground defensively. The Express fell into the trap and was gobbled up like a fly in a spider’s web. 

Air21 adjusted its offense after intermission. Realizing Magnolia relaxed its perimeter defense to focus on the interior, the Express started to throw up three-pointers. The trick worked like a charm. In the end, Air21 knocked down 11 triples compared to Magnolia’s seven.

It didn’t matter that Air21 took 11 more low percentage three-point attempts. The important thing was the Express repeatedly got second cracks at the hoop – 27 offensive rebounds, to be exact, to Magnolia’s 12. Air21 had a 10 rebound edge over Magnolia and forced 25 turnovers from which the Express scored a whopping 39 points. In contrast, Air21 committed 19 miscues with Magnolia scoring 23 turnover points.

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Because Air21 had more rebounds and less turnovers, the Express gained a lot more chances to score. The result? Air21 took 17 more field goal attempts so that even if the Express shot a lowly .362 from the field (to Magnolia’s .442), it was still an eight-point difference when the smoke cleared, 99-91.

Additionally, Magnolia couldn’t keep Air21 away from the line, surrendering 33 free throws. The Beverage Masters shot only 16-of-23 charities.

When Racela picked up his fifth personal foul in the third period, Magnolia was doomed. Tanquingcen desperately tried to get Mike Cortez going but he was totally outplayed by Wynne Arboleda. 

Cortez couldn’t adjust to Magnolia’s style of play and seemed like he was still trying to work the triangle in an Alaska uniform. The ball stayed in his hands too long and the usually Cool Cat had difficulty orchestrating. There were instances when he just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders because he couldn’t locate anyone open to pass to.

Cortez’ lack of intensity was a letdown. Racela, who is 10 years older, played with a lot more energy. By the way, Cortez was a combined 0-of-9 from three-point range in the last three games.

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Why Amal McCaskill wasn’t used as a primary offensive option in the series will remain a mystery. He hardly touched the ball in the fourth period last Friday – which was why he went scoreless in the final 12 minutes. More often than not, McCaskill was positioned outside to draw Steve Thomas away from the layup zone but that also meant not challenging the Air21 import’s defense.  

Air21’s length was a source of frustration for Magnolia. Arwind Santos, Ranidel de Ocampo and Homer Se repeatedly disrupted the Beverage Masters’ offensive flow with deflections, interceptions and distractions. Tanquingcen had no answer to the Express’ pressure, which led to several botched plays, hurried shots to beat the 24-second clock and transition baskets on the other end.

David’s shift from starter to sixth man was a stroke of genius by Perasol. David came off the bench in the last two games of the Magnolia series and Air21 won both. In the finals, he’ll be matched up against another prolific reserve Mark Caguioa.

Ginebra has won 12 in a row and would’ve won 16 straight if not for an 86-82 loss to Red Bull in the eliminations last June 1.  Caguioa’s return from a three-game layoff due to injury, Rafi Reavis’ comeback (after sitting out 15 games), Paul Artadi’s emergence, Junthy Valenzuela’s entry and JayJay Helterbrand’s leadership were factors that brought the Kings to the Last Dance.