Two tweaks in return

In Game 3 of the raging PBA Philippine Cup Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Sunday, Alaska coach Alex Compton came up with a slight tweak in the Aces starting lineup. He brought back Calvin Abueva to the first five after The Beast relinquished the role in Game 3 of the semifinal series against Rain Or Shine. The trick paid off as Abueva, who was listless off the bench in a losing Game 2 cause, delivered 16 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in 36:12 minutes to lead Alaska to a 78-70 triumph over San Miguel Beer.

In Game 4 last Wednesday, it was San Miguel coach Leo Austria’s turn to adjust. He countered with two tweaks in his starting lineup, tapping Alex Cabagnot and Marcio Lassiter to join JuneMar Fajardo, Arwind Santos and Chris Lutz. Chris Ross and rookie Ronald Pascual were in the first five from Games 1 to 3.

“JuneMar is our first option,” said Austria. “But in the first three games, Alaska made it hard for JuneMar to get the ball in scoring position. So we had to make an adjustment. We decided to put in our gunners in the first five so we can stretch the floor and give JuneMar more space to operate.  That’s why we started with Alex and Marcio. Alex is deadlier than Chris from the outside. In the semis, he did a good job for us off the bench. When Alex came in, he knew he had to earn his slot. All we want is balance. With Alex and Marcio, we also have an advantage in their matchups.”

Austria said Cabagnot put Alaska point guard Jvee Casio under the gun. “Jvee is Alaska’s key player, the architect of the team’s success,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if Jvee scores or not, he does other things to make Alaska win. He’ll make the drop pass to get them an easy basket to win the game. He might not do much in the first three quarters but when the game’s on the line in the fourth period, he’ll make the winning play.”

Another adjustment was to open up more options on offense. An overreliance on Fajardo made San Miguel predictable. With Cabagnot and Lassiter bombing away, the Aces had to extend their defense, allowing Fajardo more room to get the entry pass. In the first period of Game 4, the Beermen set the tone offensively by knocking down six triples. San Miguel closed out the quarter with an 8-0 run to open a 33-16 lead.

Still another adjustment was to contain Abueva’s supporting cast and allow him his points. The idea was to goad Abueva into trying to beat San Miguel by himself, taking away the Aces’ rhythm. “We thought Calvin wanted to prove something because he didn’t get the Best Player of the Conference award,” said Austria. “So our strategy was to let him score but limit the others.” Abueva finished with 22 points and seven rebounds but had no assist in 27:57 minutes. In Game 3, he was doubly dangerous with five dimes. Austria’s gambit worked like a charm. Abueva was the only Ace in twin digits in Game 4. Casio was scoreless for the first time this conference and never got his offense going in 19:30 minutes.

Six Beermen scored in double figures led by Cabagnot with 22 points.  In three previous Finals outings, Cabagnot tallied a total of 20 so he surpassed the output in just one game. Lassiter, like Cabagnot, was in double figures for the first time in the Finals with 10 points. He took Pascual’s place in the starting unit. Pascual shot 10 points in Game 1 but only two in his next three appearances. Fajardo and Santos both compiled 11 points and 11 rebounds. Lutz, who was held to three points in Game 3, chipped in 11, too. Tubid fired 13 as a reserve.

“No lead is safe with Alaska,” said Austria. “We were up by 22 in Game 1 and 21 in Game 3 and we lost. But our consolation was we were able to lead by such a big margin, meaning we’ve got the ability to blow them out if only we could be more in control of the situation.”

A player who has stepped up for San Miguel in the Finals is rookie David Semerad. “When Rico (Maierhofer) went down, David got the chance to play more,” said Austria. “We’re still not sure when Rico can play. He’s got the go-signal from the doctors and therapists. But he’s just participating in our walk-through drills. He’s been idle now for over two weeks out of regular practice. Rico’s a big asset to us. We need him in our big man rotation. As for David, we knew all along what he could do. We’ve always told our players to be prepared to play. David is agile for a big man, he can run, play defense and score. At first, we thought of using him at three or four. In the Finals, he’s playing four or five depending on the matchups. He knows Calvin well because of their NCAA days. He’s still adjusting to the PBA style of play but his progress is fast. What makes him valuable is his ability to play multiple positions.”

In Game 4, San Miguel dominated the boards, 53-35 and had more second chance points, 19-4, more assists, 16-13, more turnover points, 19-16 and more three-point conversions, 12-2. Alaska had the edge in free throws, 18-of-19 to 16-of-21, bench points, 38-23 and fastbreak points, 20-4. But the Beermen enjoyed a large advantage in the shooting department, 43 percent to 37 percent.

Austria did a masterful job of pushing the right buttons to keep San Miguel on top in Game 4. This time, there was no meltdown.

“Every possession counts,” said Austria. “Nobody wants to lose. We expect Alaska to make adjustments in Game 5. We made sure we didn’t fold up in the fourth quarter of Game 4. We know what we have to do to win this series.”

For Alaska to win Game 5, the Aces must set the defensive tone early as they did in Game 3. It’s a matter of playing smart and picking your poison. Do they focus on preventing Fajardo’s touches at the expense of allowing open perimeter shots? Abueva can’t do it alone and has to generate more involvement from his teammates. For his part, Casio must establish his leadership on the floor and get the Aces to play in rhythm. In Game 4, Alaska gave up 35 points right in the first period, an ominous sign. The Aces can’t engage San Miguel in a shootout and expect to win.