I
watched the Smart-Gilas versus the Smart All-Stars game on TV.
The
day before the match, my friends Allan Canlas
and Geist wanted me to claim the
extra ticket they have for 1500 pesos. I wanted to... I really do. It’s just
that I was reading the broadsheet that morning and I saw that cameras are
banned in that basketball shindig. As a blogger, that’s pretty much the reason
why I need to attend those kinds of events in the first place.
But
shit, if only I caught a second of action from the NBA versus PBA match
held on that fateful Saturday, I would have tried to get on that show at all
costs.
The
first thing I saw was the barrage of flashes. Just like my office friend Marc Baluyan said, it was like
experiencing a NBA video game. The atmosphere is awesome as well. Imagine
seeing Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Kevin
Durant, Chris Paul, Javale McGee, Derrick Williams, Tyreke Evans, James Harden,
and Derek Fisher live plus the oohs and the ahhs the crowd gives them for
every dribbling exhibition, fancy pass, comedic moments, and display of
athleticism in 48 minutes of action?
As my
friend Evilbrain would put it,
coining a phrase uttered from Kevin
Costner’s Waterworld...
Or
some shitty movie that is situated by the sea...
Dry
land is not a myth.
And I
hated it.
I
wouldn’t hate it as much if this was the NBA versus PBA game. That match my
friends, is basically an exhibition game. But hell, the Smart-Gilas match was
amazing. I got to hand it to our national team. It was hard for them to not get
starstruck with that kind of talent paraded in front of their faces but they
managed to not get the bigness of these players work against them. Their play
stunned the visitors and even if people say that the NBA players toyed with us,
Team Pilipinas still made a good
account for themselves.
Despite
their respectable account though, you can see there are rooms for improvement
for Team Pilipinas before they head against Asia’s best in September.
Size
will still be an issue for Smart-Gilas so they need to get their selves primed
up for their shooting accuracy. JV
Casio, Chris Tiu, Dondon Hontiveros, and Jimmy Alapag will get those looks and they need to score on those
opportunities. There were a couple of sorry misses seen in the game that could
be costly if this was a do or die game. Come to think of it, every game in the
FIBA-Asia Championships must be treated with importance. Another glitch they
need to check is Marcus Douthit’s
ability to put the ball on the floor. While he is such a wonderful asset to the
squad, the naturalized player can’t put the ball on the floor. His attempts to
score were foiled by the Americans who grabbed this opportunity claim turnover
points. Douthit needs to get the ball on the paint and this is something Jimmy
Alapag needs to learn.
Finally
the Nationals have a solid core made up by Fil-Americans, collegiate standouts,
and pro ballers. There were cases that they get shy. Being reckless is a bad
thing but being too terrified to commit mistakes is not a good thing either.
They need to shoot whenever they are open and not second guess their selves.
While
I doubt Dylan Ababou would get into
the main team, I believe he was effective despite playing limited minutes. JV
Casio worked his magic as well while Marcio
Lassiter, Hontiveros, Japeth Aguilar,
and Chris Lutz had their moments.
If
there’s one thing great about watching the match on TV, it’s the announcers. I
am a fan of Mico Halili, Richard Del
Rosario, and the current PBA broadcasters because they converse rather than
preach. Sure, Quinito Henson dishes
out the vital infos but in the current Philippine television landscape, the
last thing a professional basketball coverage should have is a bunch of
monotonous broadcasters. Unlike Mico, I would gladly claim Richard Del Rosario's shoe if given the chance.
I would prefer rubber shoes over leather though.
Click
on the Youtube links shared by Proudlypinoyto3 if you don’t believe
me!
Game
over.
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