Asi Taulava continues to deliver at age 41

MANILA, Philippines – Late in their season opener against the GlobalPort Batang Pier on Tuesday, October 21, the NLEX Road Warriors were in need of someone to lead them to victory.

They were struggling all game to stop the young and talented duo of GlobalPort – Terrence Romeo and Stanley Pringle – and seemed unable to contain the scoring of Alex Cabagnot. By the end of the match, the trio combined for 70 of their team’s 96 points.

In the fourth quarter NLEX chose to play zone defense, hoping it would limit the one-on-one capabilities of the Batang Pier’s main threats. 

It worked. Romeo was no longer open for easy jumpers. Cabagnot became a non-factor. Pringle’s razzle and dazzle ball handling was just that; it didn’t yield any more scoring opportunities for teammates. 

But NLEX needed to get the job done on offense too.

That’s when Asi Taulava started to demand the ball in the post.

Over and over again, the guy they call “The Ageless Wonder” abused any sort of defense GlobalPort threw at him, using his envious combination of grit, speed, and power to bulldoze his way to the rim to a total of 12 fourth quarter points.

Noy Baclao? He was too thin and weak; he didn’t stand a chance guarding Asi. Mark Isip? Too slow. So when a single defender couldn’t contain a determined Taulava, the Batang Pier were forced to send double teams.

It cost them dearly.

After Romeo hit a 3-pointer to put his team up 92-88, a doubled Taulava found a wide open KG Canaleta who swished a 3-ball from the top of the key. It was like watching the same script unfold later when Taulava found Canaleta for another open 3-ball to give the Road Warriors a five-point lead, proving to be the dagger of the ball game.

Scoring big man. Rebounding machine. Playmaking center. The Ageless Wonder. Taulava’s talents continue to warrant praise. At 41, he has managed to keep Father Time away from taking his talents. 

His play can’t turn lackluster just yet. He still has a mission to complete.

“We played beat the double. They had a hard time [guarding him in the post] and they were doubling and we just made the extra pass. That’s what it comes down to,” Taulava said after the win.

“That’s what we do. We just read their defense. Whichever guy is doubling, we try to get the ball to the open guy. That’s the good thing about us right now.”

Outside of Taulava and Canaleta, NLEX has other notable weapons for this 2014-2015 Philippine Cup in Macmac Cardona (finished with 20 points), Aldrech Ramos (16), Jonas Villanueva (11),  Mark Borboran (9), and Enrico Villanueva (11) to name a few.

It’s essentially the same club that Taulava played with for the Air21 Express (bought by NLEX) last year and coached by multiple time UAAP champion Franz Pumaren, whose team surprised many critics in the 2013-2014 PBA season with their solid play – especially in the Commissioner’s Cup.

“The experience we learned last season is coming in this season,” Taulava says. “We all have so much trust on one another. We knew if we play beat the double, whichever guy is open will get the addition pass.

“It’s not just me. Aldrech does it, Mac does it, Jonas. And it helps to having Jonas. He’s a general out there who sets the play for all of us.”

So even if GlobalPort was making crazy-tough jumpers and looked poised to snatch a victory, even if Romeo exploded for 33 points, even if Pringle was having a fantastic debut (14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists), and even if Cabagnot (23 points) was making almost every jumper he took, NLEX never panicked.

As a matter of fact, they were never that nervous, either.

“We knew sooner or later those shots they were making in the first three quarters… okay, let’s see if you can make them in the fourth when it really counts,” Taulava said. 

“With all the marbles in the table, they didn’t make those shots.”

Romeo and company faltered late, unable to match the intensity of NLEX and succumbed to the pressure of their zone defense. It denied the Batang Pier of a 1-0 standing and gave the Road Warriors a lot of confidence heading into their matchup with sister team Talk ‘N Text on Friday, October 24.

“We finished off GlobalPort, now we focus on our sister team Talk ‘N Text on Friday,” said Taulava, who also made something very clear: “We don’t care if we’re sister teams.”

But beating TNT, as good as they might be, isn’t the final goal Taulava wants. He might still be dominating and fighting off Father Time at 41, but eventually it takes everyone. Even Taulava will eventually fall prey. But before that happens, he wants the ultimate prize of the PBA.

“Everybody knows my expectations. I’m not killing myself in the offseason to just come in and just win games. My mindset is getting this team into the playoffs and getting deep into the playoffs. 

“I have a lot of pressure put on my teammates. And that’s part of basketball. We’re not just here to win games. We’re here to make it to the next round and compete deep into the playoffs where we could put ourselves in good position to make it to the finals and win it all.”

The last and only time Taulava got a taste of a PBA championship was during the All-Filipino Conference in 2003.

Albeit under a different name, Taulava aims to accomplish the same feat in the same conference 11 years later. But the post-season of the Philippine Cup is still far off. NLEX took care of GlobalPort on Tuesday but 10 more opponents await to test the new PBA franchise.

“[We’re] taking it one game at a time. I don’t wanna look too far ahead but right now, we have 10 more games in the regular season. And we have to put ourselves in a good position.”

Winning every game is not only a possibility; it should be a goal for NLEX, says their big man. At age 41, every victory still counts and still matters to him. If his team needs him to lead them to victory like they did against GlobalPort, he’ll be ready to deliver once again.

“It’s not about just coming out and playing every day. It’s about winning every day.”

– Rappler.com