It's the little things for Alaska

Plenty of heroes on the Aces' roster
(photo courtesy of Yahoo.com.Ph)

Had you told us last season that the Alaska Aces, freshly divorced from long-time head coach Tim Cone, would turn it around, contend and even take the top spot in a single conference all in a year's time, we'd just dismiss you as a true blue (or red) fanatic who doesn't have a concrete grasp of the game of basketball.

Fortunately for us, no one predicted what was about to come to the Gatas Republik and their followers and no, it wasn't only about PBA Rookie of the Year shoo-in Calvin Abueva or prized offseason recruits JVee Casio and Dondon Hontiveros. The Aces are winning because they play together. They rally around one another and do all the little things necessary to ensure a victory.

While some guys such as Casio and Abueva easily stand out from the field alongside superstar guard Cyrus Baguio, it's what the other players are willing to do on the floor that creates separation from their opponents. Having a steady, no-frills import like Rob Dozier doesn't hurt either.

Let's start out with the frontline of Sonny Thoss, Gabby Espinas and Abueva. These guys are as blue-collar as they come and save for some inconsistencies here and there, they're pretty solid alternating at the power forward spot. Thoss gives you size, intimidation and offense. Espinas gives you the athleticism. Then there's the electric Abueva who pretty much brings so much to the table that we've come to believe that this guy will be a PBA MVP-caliber player (playing the 2 or 3) in TWO YEARS TIME (read that again, we're calling it right now).

Back to these guys. Tonight, in their win versus the slumping GlobalPort Batang Pier, we saw a perfect example of the men wearing red doing the little things. Thoss had the ball in the right side of the post and was being guarded by a guy smaller than him. Abueva was the primary kickout option for Thoss should the big man need a reset. But, instead of staying outside, Abueva walked right into the guy guarding Thoss and set a screen-- AT THE LOW POST.

We see screens and picks being set all the time, but definitely not for bigs working in the paint. But there was Abueva, sacrificing his skinny frame to set a pick for Thoss so that his big could get enough space to shoot. Thoss wasn't able to make the shot, but he was able to get a clean look thanks to Abueva's antics.

You could say the same things about the guards, and how they bring it on offense. Hontiveros, Baguio and Tony de la Cruz- these guys are not afraid of the big shots. Throw in RJ Jazul who's pretty much instant offense all to himself and spitfire, "fearless" rookie Raffy Reyes and you are looking at an Aces' backcourt that has the stones to play with the best of them. They can shoot from outside, they are all polished defenders and are scrappy as hell (with Casio being the "tamest" of them all).

Truly, while Baguio is the "man" for the Aces and the hands-down choice to take the last shot, it seems that the team trusts each other on a deeper level and have no qualms about their roles. You have to credit Coach Luigi Trillo and his hard working staff for the work that they've put in and the selflessness that has been preached from day one.

"We not me."