Long way to go

TNT is one up on San Miguel Beer in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals but while a 1-0 lead in a best-of-seven series is hardly significant, what makes coach Nash Racela upbeat is the KaTropa’s 104-102 win in last Wednesday’s opener came even with two mainstays Ryan Reyes and Ranidel de Ocampo sitting out the action. 

Reyes nursed a right ankle sprain while De Ocampo was under the weather. They were both on the bench in playing togs but never checked in. When they were introduced in the call-ups, Reyes walked instead of ran and De Ocampo did a slight jog. If they were 100 percent and played, Racela’s rotation would’ve gone deeper and put San Miguel into more serious matchup problems.

Racela got maximum mileage from his players on both ends of the floor. He used 12 men compared to only nine for San Miguel. Only two TNT players logged at least 30 minutes and none over 40. In contrast, five San Miguel players logged at least 30 with two over 40. The disparity in rotation was reflected in TNT’s bench production of 46 points to San Miguel’s 18.

San Miguel coach Leo Austria stuck to his starting five from the opening tip until 4:39 was left in the first period when Yancy de Ocampo checked in for JuneMar Fajardo. By then, Racela had brought in R. R. Garcia, Kris Rosales and Joshua Smith off the bench. Troy Rosario and Frank Golla also reported for duty before the quarter ended. Austria sent in Ronald Tubid, Gabby Espinas and Arwind Santos to extend his rotation.

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Racela appeared to get the better of the matchups. He surprised Austria by assigning Anthony Semerad on Chris Ross and Mo Tautuaa on Charles Rhodes. Tautuaa didn’t even start in TNT’s previous outing.  The expectation was Semerad would defend Rhodes because of his role in shadowing Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee in the semis. But Racela probably figured the key to limit San Miguel is to throw off Ross’ rhythm and let Rhodes try to win the game by himself. As it turned out, Rhodes erupted for 21 of San Miguel’s 31 points in the first quarter but fizzled out in the second and third periods where he went scoreless.

It’s not often that an import comes off the bench in the PBA because for what he’s being paid, you’d rather get full value for money. Maybe, under normal circumstances, Smith would start every game for TNT but because Jumbotron can’t last 48 minutes of no relief, Racela paces him. His situation worsened after suffering a torn ligament in his right foot in Game 3 of the Ginebra series. Smith has not started in TNT’s last four games. He also didn’t start in two of the three quarterfinal games against Meralco. But Racela has found a way to cope.  Last Wednesday, Racela started a big lineup with Jayson Castro, R. R. Pogoy, Kelly Williams, Semerad and Tautuaa in the first period. Then, he had a first five of R. R. Garcia, Castro, Pogoy, Rosario and Williams to open the second half with a small formation. The flexibility of employing different combinations is a luxury in a long series.

When Smith was on the court, he was more than a handful to contain. Austria had Fajardo, Rhodes and Yancy alternating on Smith. He didn’t gamble on a hard double because it’s too risky to leave any one TNT player open for a pass on a good look. Even with a handicap, Smith was a tough cookie. His baby hook off a soft touch couldn’t be stopped by any of Austria’s defenders. Smith scored in every quarter and hit the winning basket off Fajardo with 1.6 seconds to go.

In the third quarter, San Miguel used a zone defense to try to shake off TNT and the KaTropa lead went down to a point, 72-71, but Pogoy hit a three to bring the margin back to four. Pogoy wouldn’t allow San Miguel to sit on a zone for too long. In the fourth period, he erupted for 13 points, including nine from three triples. Pogoy wound up with a career-high 27 points. 

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Smith’s three-point play pushed TNT on top, 41-40, in the second quarter and San Miguel never led again. Thrice, San Miguel tied the count, 98-all, 99-all and 102-all but couldn’t regain the driver’s seat. TNT’s 12-0 surge in the second period was a killer but San Miguel still kept it close and a 13-3 salvo in the fourth quarter led to the first of the last three deadlocks.

Castro made life difficult for Ross and got away with a near triple double, collecting 14 points, nine boards and 10 assists. On offense, Ross was hounded by Semerad, Rosales and Castro so it was a long night for the two-time Finals MVP. It wasn’t until late in the payoff period when Ross and Alex Cabagnot began to spew fire. They combined for 12 points in the last 12 minutes but it wasn’t enough to tow San Miguel to victory. In the semifinals, Ross averaged 17 points, 6.3 rebounds and 9.3 assists. In Game 1 of the Finals, he was held to 11 points.

It wasn’t just Smith who doused cold water on San Miguel’s parade. TNT’s defense was a dampener as San Miguel lapsed into 23 turnovers from which the KaTropa scored 27 points. San Miguel had only 17 turnover points off 17 TNT miscues. Although San Miguel had more rebounds, 58-52 and shot better from the floor, 45 percent to 42, TNT enjoyed the edge in volume attempts, 95-83, because it posted more offensive boards, 18-13 and had 10 less turnovers.

In Game 2, Austria won’t fall into the same TNT trap for sure. He’ll probably work more pick-and-rolls for Ross with Rhodes or Fajardo so Semerad is forced to switch or battle the screens. Playing Rhodes at three with Santos at four and Fajardo at five may be an option to create more space to attack the middle. Austria briefly tried that combination in the second quarter last Wednesday. Cabagnot and Marcio Lassiter must be more aggressive in taking charge offensively, not just deferring to Rhodes and Fajardo. The adjustments will be critical if San Miguel hopes to bounce back with a bang and even the series.