Kudos to all the players and coaching staff for a wonderful scouting report on the sharpshooting Japanese squad. The Japanese led early in the first half owing to their outside bombs and consecutive turnovers primarily by one Chris Tiu. It should be noted though, that PHL led in the first quarter behind a never-before-seen starting unit of Mark Barroca, Chris Lutz, Marcio Lassiter, Kelly Williams and Marcus Douthit (much to my delight).
The minute Toroman made some substitutions, PHL's offense became predictable and Japan started going crazy by hitting shots from all over the court.
Fortunately for us, the Japanese lost steam in the second half and were starting to look desperate for a savior-- a role usually reserved for star Takuya Kawamura and 6"9 brothers Joji and Kasuke Takeuchi. Problem was, PHL would have none of it as all three were swarmed by aggressive help defenses all night long.
The Good
Marcio Lassiter (15 points)
- pretty much made Kawamura work on both ends of the floor. Play lockdown defense? Check. Do his best Mark Caguioa circa 2001 impression? Check.
Marcus Douthit (25 points, 18 rebounds)
- he hurt his ankle versus Jordan, and looked like he was laboring in the first half which may be a big reason why we were down six. But in the 2nd half, Douthit played like a bull in the paint and was just "manning" the Japanese bigs who have the same game as a Mick Pennisi.
Jimmy Alapag (16 points, 4 assists)
- where are the haters now? Alapag is the best PG on the roster bar none. The Japs tried to trap Alapag early, but went man to man the minute they saw that 1) there's no way you can steal the ball from a "serious" Alapag and 2) he was dissecting them with crisp passes.
Kelly Williams (12 points)
- where was this Williams the last few games?! Shiiiiiiitttt. Williams played like his MVP-form back with the Santa Lucia Realtors- running, hustling, sinking jumpers and even trying to dunk on Takeuchi's head on one play with brute force. He is arguably the best man to play alongside the "Too Cool" Douthit the rest of the tournament.
Chris Lutz
- he didn't score like Lassiter, he fouled out and even cost us two free throws on a technical- BUT- he played lockdown defense on Kawamura, alternating with Lassiter to pretty much throw the Japanese star off his game. By the time he fouled out in the third, he pretty much did what he had to do out on the floor.
The Bad
Ranidel de Ocampo (4 points)
- took one too many three balls early and lost his spot to Williams. In the 4th quarter though, RDO made up for his lack of aggression by simply camping in the post and playing offside basketball with Douthit (where he was able to grab timely rebounds that helped preserve the lead/ win).
JVee Casio (4 points)
- two forced airballs from deep. Couldn't dribble out of double teams. Couldn't make the correct pass. Blame it on his injury, or this being an off night, but Casio was clearly exposed as a short, outmatched shooting guard in today's game.
The Ugly
Chris Tiu (0 points)
- first time he touched the ball, he turned it over. Second? Turned it over. The PHL team captain looked lost on several occassions and didn't really help the cause. If anything, Lutz should take Tiu's minutes from here on out. Yes, we appreciate Tiu serving as an inspiration to all, but let the better players play!
Hopefully, Casio and Tiu both get their grooves back in the next round and shine in their new, diminished roles on the floor. It won't matter if they play a minute or the whole game, as long as we win, then just go for it.
Hats off to Asi Taulava who came in the 2nd quarter to spell Douthit. "The Rock" was throwing 'bows as though his daughter's entire college plan depended on him securing every single rebound.
Let's go Pilipinas!
ngayon ko lang nakita tong blog na to. keep it up.
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