34th Jones Cup: Pusong Palaban

Ginto!

In a game that it had absolutely no business of winning after a tough 0-6 start and falling behind by double digits most of the way, the under-sized, little prepared and odd bunch known to us as the Pilipinas select team snatched the 34th William Jones Cup gold medal win right under the cocky U.S.A. stalwarts 76-75.

Not only were the Americans taking advantage of their superior combination of height, speed and athleticism that we only have Gabe Norwood to match with, but the guys added another facet to their attack-- knocking down jumpers and long bombs and just pretty much rising up over our shorter countrymen. In layman's terms, "ginawang asintahan ung mga puyo natin."

34th Jones Cup: Top 10 Things We've Learned

Pilipinas' battlecry: ATTACK!

1. The dribble-drive offense is just as effective a zone-breaker as shooting from the outside
This approach opened a lot of eyes in terms of breaking the dreaded zone defense that we Filipino, having learned and patterned the game from the Americans, believe to be indestructible. Of course, for the DD to be effective, a team has to have A) a slasher strong enough to protect the ball and receive contact and B) shooters to kick-out too. We've always had A covered, it was the B part that we never really consistently had until this year. Even Gilas I didn't enjoy such premium-quality shooters led by Jeffrei Chan (who is really Allan Caidic on a Chin Chun Su overdose). The most effective so far are starting guard L.A. Tenorio who does it by his craftiness and exceptional ball-handling plus back-up Sol Mercado who just bulldozes his way inside. They suck in the 2-3 zone and force opponents to regroup/ help, leaving our shooters roaming free and waiting for the ball.

Date kasi ang intindi natin, pagnaka zona ang kalaban, tirahan mo na lang ng tres. Wag ka na mag-effort. Papawisan ka lang. Buti sana kung lahat ng player natin e mala-Caidic na sure-ball. Ngayon, gumagalaw lahat.

Pass the torch: Cardona is no longer The Franchise

Two scorers with so-so D
will always spoil the broth

As much as it pains this writer to come to terms with this sad and undeniable reality, there's just no other way around it. For the Meralco Bolts to continue building on the success that they currently enjoy (breaking into the semifinals after six conferences), they need to shift the offense away from "franchise player" Mac Cardona.

When Team Manny V. Pangilinan bought out the Santa Lucia Realtors, Cardona was immediately sent from mother team Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters to headline the Bolts. After all, he was the one guy that people either loved or hated with such passion-- someone who magnetized and captivated fans by his sheer passion for the game. That, plus he tends to be an island all to himself-- needing to dominate the basketball which oftentimes alienated teammates and reduced big names such as the mighty Jimmy Alapag to mere spectators.

Time to shine for ex-Realtors/ Bolts

Playing time at last for Isip and Bitoy

Someone tell the chinky-eyed beauty Ms. Sheila Lina that it’s okay now, she can finally jump for joy, exchange pleasantries and high fives as her team, the Air21 Express (former Shopinas.Com), has finally salvaged a victory in its young PBA career.

Thanks largely to the “mana from heaven,” known in these circles as being awarded the rights to 6”11 import Marcus Douthit, the Express won over sister team Barako Bull Energy, 97-88. But at the same breath, credit should also be given the Express’ new recruits—underrated forwards Nelbert “Bitoy” Omolon and Mark Isip who last saw meaningful action with this writer’s old love, the Santa Lucia Realtors (once Team MVP took over and overhauled the line-up, Omolon was under utilized by coach Ryan Gregorio while Isip bounced around the league like a modern day Chris Bolado).