Tams see flaws in defense, vow fightback

MANILA, Philippines - Going over what transpired in Game 1 of the UAAP Season 74 men’s basketball finals against Ateneo, Far Eastern coach Bert Flores immediately noticed a glaring shortcoming on the Tams’ part: Lack of defensive pressure and ball movement.

“We were okay in the first half, sticking to game plan and focusing on defense. But in the third and fourth quarters, we were not pressuring them on defense and hardly had ball movement on offense, only two players getting the touches. We couldn’t beat an experienced team like Ateneo by simply trying to outscore them,” Flores noted.

True enough, the Eagles’ obliterated the Tams’ early 28-18 lead and ran away with an 82-64 romp, standing on the threshold of a fourth straight crown.

“We really lost that one. Bad game for us in the third and fourth whereas they had a perfect game (in the second half),” said the Tams mentor, in a more serious mood when he dropped by the media room for a post-game chat.

Nico Salva, who spearheaded Ateneo’s attack with a impeccable 8-of-8 fieldgoal shooting and 24 big points, will be a marked man in Game 2.

“Stop Salva, especially in their pick-and-rolls, he’s the one who carried the game for them. We really need to defend better,” Flores said.

Aside from improving on defense, Flores noted the need to get their big men led by Aldrech Ramos and Russel Escoto more involved in their offensive sets.

“It’s really important to move the ball around, give our bigs more touches in the post,” he said.

Game 2 will be played at the Smart Smart Araneta Coliseum Tuesday, which could very well be Ateneo’s coronation day for the fourth straight year if FEU won’t do something about it.

“Our backs are against the wall. I’m telling the players we’ve reached this far, will we just give up and die?” he said. “Of course, we won’t. We remain positive. We’ll make the adjustments for Game 2 and who knows, we might pull one off and force Game 3.”