Aces' breakthrough

Clutch Casio's been doing
this for a long time

Last night's 94-92 victory by the Alaska Aces over the dominant Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters was long overdue.

And it couldn't have happened at a much opportune moment; with the Texters carrying an unblemished record and the Aces not dropping an assignment since losing their first two assignments and then adding rookie Calvin Abueva to the mix. It was a shame that Quinito Henson or Mico Halili weren't around to call this one, since they're the PBA's best "story tellers" (madalas nga lang ma-carried away si The Dean, si Mico naman borderline corny pag hindi naawat) who could've probably dropped a "something's go to give in this early clash of the titans" etc.

Goal-tending issues aside, the Aces deserved to win this game from the get go. They started like a house on fire behind the revived and highly efficient play of Cyrus Baguio (16 points), JVee Casio's steady shooting (25) and Abueva's contagious, frenetic energy that is starting to draw in the non-Alaska crowd because of his relentless kanto boy hustle and swag.

The Texters, a defensive team thanks to Coach Norman, couldn't keep the Aces from torching them from deep. Granted, you'd take your chances against a team that features knockdown shooters Casio, Dondon Hontiveros, RJ Jazul and Tony de la Cruz , but you'd expect that they'd at least make the adjustments and challenge every shot.

Come the 2nd half, that's exactly what the Texters did. They turned on the defensive intensity, closing out on shooters and making it a living hell for Abueva, Sonny Thoss and Mac Baracael to come in for offensive rebounds. The Law of Averages also started to come in play as the Aces were starting to miss shots (most of them short) while the Texters went with what has worked this whole conference.

Slowed down, grind-it-out basketball.

Many times the crowd would count down from nine, eight, seven... but the Texters were always in control. They were never called for an infraction, they knew what to do and where to go (Jimmy Alapag, Jayson Castro and or Ranidel de Ocampo in the halfcourt) and that helped them take an 11 point lead after trailing by a dozen early in the game.

And then, Joseph Evans Casio happened.

In a span of a little under a minute, Casio went on a berserker 10 point run anchored on three triples. Alaska fans haven't seen such clutch shooting before. Okay, maybe they were spoiled in the last few years of the cross-eyebrowed Willie Miller era, but we don't recall any Aces' player going on a huge tear from deep (then again, we're not the biggest Aces' fan out there so feel free to make your rebuttal). You saw the face changing, Casio wanted to win. He went back to SMART Gilas mode. No, he went back to DLSU mode. No, he went back to San Beda Red Cubs mode. The dude was unconscious.

Beside him was rookie Abueva, who was making all the hustle plays and keeping the Texters on their toes by looking like the freshest guy on the court running from baseline to baseline. He fouled out, but not before he helped tie the game at 90 apiece with a triple of his own.

Then, after the game was tied at 92-all thanks to a controversial goaltending call, Casio would deliver on a drive that caught the Texters by surprise. They were probably thinking Casio would go up for a three, but anyone who's watched Casio in his days with DLSU would know that this kid is deceptively quick (not cat quick like Jayson Castro, but he's there). With Alapag failing to close out and the Texters' big men unable to rotate, Casio cooly sank a driving lay-up but left 2.4 seconds on the clock.

Ever-dependable Texter Larry Fonacier had a nice look thanks to a great play drawn up for him by Coach Norman Black but it just rimmed out at the final buzzer. Why they didn't go for Castro- who can easily make 2.4 seconds look like 2 minutes and change, well, that's up to Coach Norman who probably went with his guy Fonacier.

On a side note, you'd have to commend the Aces and their head coach Luigi Trillo for playing as a team. Their offense is crazy efficient with the high-flying slasher Baguio and their shooters Hontiveros, Casio, Jazul, TDLC then they have a reliable big in Sonny Thoss and energy guys like Mac Baracael, Gabby Espinas and Abueva.

Also, in case you're still hating on Abueva or have a hard time appreciating his game (or carry the initials ML), watch the guy play. He hustles, he rebounds versus guys six inches taller than he is, he appears to be extremely skinny (like Baguio would standing next to Mark Caguioa) but he always makes a play for the ball. He runs the floor baseline to baseline (looking for an outlet pass that doesn't always come) and sets soft-to-hard screens for his guards.

This is the Abueva that earned the "Beast" monicker. Not this past NCAA season's over-hyped, triple double monster who had the ball in his hands 90% of the time. The guy who does the dirty work and all the other things that helps teams to win. You could argue that the way the Aces are running right now, it's almost like the first year for San Sebastian when they had Jimbo Aquino working with Abueva, shooting all those threes. Except, instead of only one shooter in Jimbo, Abueva has a whole arsenal who are arguably the league's best, doing all the sniping.

On a side note, Casio needs his own monicker. And no boss Mico, "The Smurfinator" doesn't count.