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Oct 04

Will The Icing Follow?

by Tony L. Atayde
3,911 Views | 237 Comments

It was a festive day of green and red at the Araneta Coliseum. As the crowds were starting to come, it felt different from the energy that was present in last Sunday’s La Salle – Ateneo game. There was excitement from the La Salle crowd because it is the Finals but it didn’t have the tension that was in everyone’s faces in the last game.

The UE fans on the other hand were eager to get the game started. They had been waiting for 20 days and their wait was compounded by the high intensity level of the last 2 La Salle – Ateneo games. After all, they did win 14 straight games to automatically capture the 1st Finals berth but this seemed overshadowed by the playoff games for that 2nd seat.

During the warm-ups, I noticed that the UE Red Warriors were focused, maybe too focused or what we call “gigil�. The Green Archers on the other hand looked more relaxed having just played 2 back to back thrillers.

Finally, the jump ball and Game 1 of the Finals was on its way.

Both teams looked tight early and it was immediately obvious that both teams were mirroring their defense. But with UE dominating the boards on both ends of the floor, they did not look like they skipped a beat.

UE ends the first quarter with a 45% field goal shooting while La Salle could only make 5 of 16 from the field.. With the 1st quarter score at 20 – 14 for UE, the La Salle fans seemed restless but still in high spirits.

The 2nd quarter was an all together different story. La Salle clamped down on its defense and also began getting hot. The Red Warriors seemed confused and with still 8 minutes to go, Coach Dindo Pumaren had already used up all his timeouts.

La Salle erases the UE 8 point lead by forcing forces more turnovers. The game starts to get physical, which would definitely be to UE’s advantage because of their size. UE just totally dominates the rebounds.

Sloppy offense on both sides keeps the scoring low, which would benefit La Salle because the Green Archers were playing slow deliberated basketball while the Red Warriors were running.

The first half ends at 39 – 37 for UE and the La Salle crowd was wondering, is it possible?

A look at some stats from the first half makes this game even more confusing. Though scoring percentages were almost equal, UE outrebounded La Salle 34 to 13. La Salle however caused UE to commit 12 turnovers while committing only 5 and had more blocks than their taller opponents.

The 3rd quarter saw both teams shooting terrible. Neither team could build a substantial lead but again this was definitely an advantage for La Salle. It was actually starting to be a coach’s match. Continuous substitution from both sides just kept coming.

The quarter ends with UE shooting 3 of 11 while La Salle 4 of 20. The jitters of the Finals were very evident. With UE still on top 50 – 47, the match was definitely anyone’s to take.

The 4th quarter belonged to TY Tang. He just lit up the scoreboard and kept La Salle in the game. Playing alongside veterans Pocholo Villanueva, Rico Maierhofer and JV Casio, the Green Archers began showing what Conach Dindo Pumaren feared most, the championship experience of La Salle. Surprisingly, it was the rookie Ferdinand that stood his ground against the UE big men.

Coach Franz, knew exactly what he had to do and kept his younger brother reacting to his moves. La Salle showed the composure that had vanished many times in the past games. UE on the other hand seemed lost.

With less than a minute to go, La Salle takes a 3 point lead. But UE’s Mark Borboran hits a 3 and ties the game. Rico Maierhofer gets fouled and splits his charities. With La Salle up by 1 and less than 20 seconds to go, UE goes for the final shot. La Salle makes one last defensive stand and UE just can’t find a way to score. Malabes gets the final rebound of the game and La Salle gets the win.

As the La Salle crowd was in jubilation, the UE players looked shocked. Their first loss of the season happens at the worst time. They are not invincible after all.

I felt that the deep bench of Coach Dindo backfired on him today. He has so much talent on that team but did not seem to have the core group he needed for today. Maybe substitutions were made too fast, so much so that the players were not able to get into the groove at the end game.

Oh the end game, how important is that? It was La Salle’s weakness that they have now transformed into their strength.

Can the UE Red Warriors come back from this devastating loss? They have never had that this year and it will be a test of their character to do so. Will the Green Archers go for the jugular on Sunday? They better, because a 3rd game will be an advantage for UE.

We got the cake when we beat Ateneo. Will the icing follow?

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Posted in The Green Mind

Comments

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  • bow and arrow  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 2:58 pm

    green1, its either you suck at teaching or greenmanure’s stupidity is congenital… angsagwa parin nya parin magconstruct ng sentence… hmmmm… alin kaya sa dalawa yun? i’ll bet my pwet, he’s just too stupid…

  • greenmanure  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 2:50 pm

    green1 WTF! you’re not a la sallian too. askalian maybe. nyahaha. at least i learned from green1’s nuthead. nyahaha. you’re bullshit loco. nyahaha. basta tlga mga asalites mga pikon parang asong ulul. ahu ahu ahu. nyahaha. ei green1 how about how to falcify and cheat you forgot to teach. nyahaha.

  • green1  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 2:23 pm

    Bravehearted… you are not an Atenean! Hwag mag ilusyon…hahaha!

  • green1  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 2:21 pm

    greenmanure = bravehearted ?
    greenmanure = bad grammar
    bravehearted = bad grammar too!
    hmmmmn….:)

  • green1  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 2:18 pm

    Bravehearted - You are not an Atenean…that’s for sure! Pangalan mo pa lang gramatically incorrect na. Ateneans are good at writing…obviously you lack the skill!

  • ping guerrero  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 1:40 pm

    @bravehearted

    wala na ng magawa? pakamatay ka nalang. eepal pa.. as far as i know, ue and dlsu ang nasa finals.. magaling din kayo diyan eh, sa pagepal.

    @lasalista

    wag muna kayo magcelebrate, baka ma jinx. may 2 games pa. pwede pa bumawi ang ue. eh ateneo nga nanalo game 1 last year then tinalo ng ust twice. its only fair ipagmalaki ang school if you defend it when some loser bashes us, di tuloy tayo maiiba sa kanila kung ganyan din ang attitude.

    1 point lang panalo ng lasalle. a missed freethrow or even just one field goal could have made the difference.

  • Bravehearted  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 1:02 pm

    greenthumb:
    talo talaga kayo! magsama kayo ng mga asul sa kankungan.(comparison always binds w/ insecurities)

    hindi lang kami mga lasallista matatalino, magaling din kami sa basketball.

    —-funny, di nga lang kayo basagulero,
    napakahambog pa!
    self proclaimed balloon talaga,
    mas masarap sigurong puriin nalang ng iba, kesa buhatin ang sariling bangko… as if malinis “reputation” nila.
    you really sounds like a typical shameless lasallian,
    ahahaha!

    Masarap Pa Rin Ang Maging Atenista.(atleast walang comparison)

  • Green Archer  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 12:52 pm

    That’s right The Mighty Green. They are not used to losing. They will begin to doubt their confidence. Come to think of it they have to beat us twice. They will choke on Sunday. La Salle win reign again. Rektikano!

  • Green Archer  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 12:44 pm

    theunderdog,

    Thanks so much for the praise. We really appreciate it in behalf of the Lasallian community. It’s nice talking to you guys because you talk with sense. Not unlike these people. They are so baduy.

    and bobo. like (greenmanure)

  • blue_talon  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 12:42 pm

    believe it or not… im rooting for La Salle… they beat us in a gruelling series… they deserve to win it all… watch out for us next year though… WE’LL BE BACK… hehehe

  • The Mighty Green  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 12:37 pm

    Panalo na ang La Salle dito sa finals. Walang magagawa yan mga UE na yan. Kinakabahan na sila. Na-bigla sila. Hindi nila akalain napaka-galing ng Green Archers.

    They thought it was just a walk in the park. Kaso hindi. Natulala sila ngayon.

    Matakot na kayo Red Warriors. Tatapusin na ng Green Archers ang laban sa Lingo.

  • theunderdog  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 12:35 pm

    kudos to the archers. it was a great game. you managed to stick with UE when they were trying to pull away, something that you were not able to do in your first game against them. i too am from ateneo and i am cheering for dlsu in this series. dlsu had its share of heartaches this season. dlsu’s breakdown against UST and the three losses against Ateneo. and our side has also suffered heartbreaking losses to DLSU and NU.

    it’s UE’s turn to have their hearts broken para naman pantay-pantay. and DLSU winning the title this year would simply mean that there will be more on the line when we meet again next season. i am not the kind to sourgrape. losing sucks but we have to deal with it and get better. many ateneans, myself included, never thought that we could have been one game away from reaching the finals this season. so a 3rd place finish was fine (pero masakit pa rin kasi sayang.hehe)

    anyway, it’s your title to win Archers. give ‘em hell. my predictions pac by ko and archers by sweep. and i’m out

    mabuhay ang pilipinas.animo DLSU.Hataw Ateneo

  • green1  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 12:20 pm

    Berdeng tae…greenmanure…wow better!

  • green1  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 12:18 pm

    Greenmanure…I’m not gonna teach you how to spell…I’m gonna teach you basic grammar…”your” is a possessive pronoun ex. your time…your books…your pathetic life. “You’re” is short for “you are” ex. You are a pathetic a$$hole… You are bad at English….O alam mo na ba or do I have to explain it 5 times pa? hahaha Pinapatawa mo ako ha!

  • berdeng ubas  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 12:13 pm

    pare read na lang. di naman talaga sa pag-ingles pero hindi yun and diprensya baka loose screws, pretzel logic, must be wired quite differently, can’t connect the dots, bats in his belfry,grandeur-deludad street punk, etc. wag na lang kayo magyabang kahit lamang. at least marunong naman siyang mag-computer, may pambili o pang-arkila. dun na sya masaya. hayaan na.

  • Green Archer  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 12:13 pm

    That’s all you can say greenmanure? Don’t speak in Carabao English please. It’s so bad to the ears. Even your spelling is hopeless. You can always use Tagalog. Don’t force it Dude. By the way, you can also change your name to Tagalog. It will fit you best. “Berdeng Tae”.

  • The Green Mind  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 12:11 pm

    Rico is nursing a sver sprain, which happened in a game against Ateneo. He was in a cast for 5 days to immobilize the ankle. It is heavily taped and that is why he is having ahard time taking a foul shot cos he cant put weight on it to push off.

    JV Casio is also nursing a sprain. Aside from that, he was recovering from the flu yesterday.

    Managahas’ limited minutes is also due to an injury. Even Barua is not 100%.

  • No Comment  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 11:54 am

    Boy Pakwan,

    Isn’t Rico still nursing an injury? I’m just worried that he might aggravate it and it may have lifetime hampering effects.

    The Green Mind,
    Can you confirm if Rico is 100%?

  • greenmanure  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 11:51 am

    your right poging askalasalle. oops! i miss something. correct me if im wrong green lousy archer. nyahaha. coz i dun know how to spell. nyahaha. hope you become my prof. and teach me how to cheat just like how to falsify papers. nyahaha.

    greenmanure- to show how dirty asalites was, how dirty they play. nyahaha.

  • The Green Mind  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 11:45 am

    Green Archer,

    Thank you foryou kind words.

  • The Green Mind  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 11:43 am

    Tiger Power,

    Next time you see me at the game, why not come up and say hi. I would love to meet up with the readers. We may have differences but what makes us all the same is the love of the game.

  • Boy Pakwan  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 11:38 am

    No Archer suffered from cramps = Not physically tired
    Archer Defense never wavered = Not emotionally drained
    Coach Franz was ready and focused = Not mentally fatigued
    Archer veterans guards led and delivered = Confidence!!
    Plus you have a healthy true MVP playing in Rico,

    How can the Archers loose?

    UE do have the capability to win 2 straight games but they lack endgame poise and no court leadership was felt. Unlike the Committee Leadership of Tang, Villanueva and Casio, which most of the time is by exmple.

    I hope the Archers can end it on Sunday that I don’t need to absent myself from work if we go into game. But again I don’t mind that. It may again be UE 3 vs La Salle 2, but La Salle still wins the Championship.

    Truly, at times 2 is better than 3.

    Animo La Salle!
    Go San Beda Fight! (for another pakwan named JV Casio)

    PS. Is JV Casio playing hurt, his timing is not the same?

  • Green Archer  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 11:37 am

    Thanks Atenean friend for the kudos.

    It doesn’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning is winning.”

    Animo La Salle!

  • berdeng ubas  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 11:37 am

    GREENMANURE. Hwag ka na lang sumali sa usapang Ingles. Magtagalog ka na lang aampunin ka pa namin ng mga Atenista. Galit2 lang kami sa court pero sa labas gaya ni NO COMMENT may paghanga at respeto rin naman kami sa isa’t-isa. O TAGALOG YUN DI BA?

  • No Comment  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 11:28 am

    Calls were tight as always. NABRO kasi yung mga refs can’t count on them to be reliable. I don’t see it favorable for any team. It was a good game. I have to commend Tang and Cholo for playing great games. they were absent most of the season but on the brink of elimination they bring out their A games. Casio played as he normally does, nothing exceptional. Ferdinand also probably payed his best season. Kudos to dlsu they proved they are really hungry for the crown.

    Albeit being from Ateneo I was cheering for DLSU. since this season has already been memorable why not make it more interesting.
    a. 5 admu dlsu games
    b. 2>3 wins
    c. 5 teams fighting for slots 2-3.
    d. sweeping the eliminations but losing the crown

    Can’t get any better than this season :)

    One Big Fight

  • Green Archer  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 11:24 am

    According to greenmanure:

    “that why the call are all in favor to their basketball.”

    How stupid.

  • berdeng ubas  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 11:24 am

    bloodhoundgang very witty and supremely enunciated remarks. la salle community better save these for posterity. mas berdeng ubas mas nakakagasgas. so red and blue keep sourgraping para lagi kayong naglalaway at gising! RETIKANO RAH!!!

  • Green Archer  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 11:22 am

    Magtagalog ka nalang pare. Sagwa eh.

  • Green Archer  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 11:21 am

    Hey Greenmanure, study English first man. You sound bobo.

  • Tiger Power  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 5 October 2007 at 11:20 am

    saw you yesterday at the game mr. atayde…parang kinabahan ka nung final possesion ah….

    though youre boys gutted it out…

    congrats…

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Tony L.
Tony L. Atayde

Very Opinionated. Very Green. Hate him. Love Him. It does not matter and he does not care. A Howard Stern in cyberspace. He bleeds Green, He is purely from La Salle – as a former writer and Assistant Vice President for Events of the DLSU Alumni Association. Played basketball and was on the track and field team for La Salle during the NCAA just don't ask what year.