Ateneo, La Salle on a collision course for another finals showdown

Naveen Ganglani

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Ateneo, La Salle on a collision course for another finals showdown
The classic matchup between both teams shows that Ateneo and La Salle are on a different level compared to the rest of the UAAP

MANILA, Philippines – Ben Mbala ran into an obstacle course of defenders, each one their arms up in the air, probably muttering prayers, forming a barrier which would stop La Salle’s force of nature from a getting a decent shot at the rim. The plan worked. Even the gigantic UAAP MVP could only move so much before losing the basketball to the floor, which for those few seconds inside the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday was more precious than gold.

Suddenly, there was a glimmer of hope. Kib Montalbo, who committed mistake after mistake during his 27 minutes of play against DLSU’s forever rival, was quicker than Thirdy Ravena for a fraction of a second in retrieving the leather. A split second later, he contorted his body in an awkward angle, throwing a prayer with his right hand while his body went left, and hoping it kissed enough of the glass to fall in the hole. 

Had it happened, all would be forgiven – the open 3-pointers given up in the first quarter, the numerous defensive lapses, and the nightmarish turnover which turned the narrative at the end of the UAAP first round upside down in the snap of a finger.

But fate wasn’t wearing green.

The buzzer rang and the noise couldn’t be more deafening for DLSU fans. On the other side, it was jubilee for those in blue-and-white. Confirmation. Validation. Retribution. Whatever you name it, the Blue Eagles took down the Green Archers. Ateneo defeated La Salle. The defending champions fell to the team most poised to take the crown on their heads. 

This wasn’t just about the standings or tie-breakers. This was about pride and history. It always is when the two most heated rivals in Philippine sports battle. “You may be 0-5 or something but when it comes to Ateneo-La Salle, it’s war out there,” said a disappointed and angered Montalbo after the contest. How about that botched final inbound play? “No comment.”

When Ateneo and La Salle go at it on the hardwood, little mistakes are magnified. Each shot matters more. Each defensive stop requires more heart. It’s still early in the season, you say? Sure, but right now the undefeated Blue Eagles have the upper hand. More importantly, they have the morale-boosting fact that, after being swept by the Green Archers in last year’s finals, they came right back and defeated them in round one this season. In the long run, that matters a whole lot. Confidence can make or break basketball seasons. On Sunday, the Eagles didn’t look like a team who saw themselves as underdogs against the Archers. They looked like a team ready for their own shine at the top. 

This much is clear: when the UAAP finals open next month, it will be these two teams at war once again for that trophy. With all due respect to the rest of the league, it’s Ateneo and La Salle and then everyone else. Both teams are on a collision course for another championship showdown.

Another chapter in their epic rivalry.

There’s no victory sweeter for ADMU than defeating DLSU. There’s no defeat more bitter for La Salle than losing to Ateneo. It was system versus mayhem; a collection of talents playing in a methodical attack against a team that tries to overwhelm opponents with talent and suffocating pressure. The more disciplined team won on Sunday, but the path to triumph was not easy.

“It was an Ateneo-La Salle game that I think a lot of people expected,” said Ateneo assistant Sandy Arespacochaga after the contest, which turned out as another classic.

“There were times that La Salle looked like they wanted it more, especially in the second and third quarters.”

The game went damn-near perfect for the Blue Eagles to begin the contest. Anton Asistio had the green light to shoot more than Steph Curry in China with La Salle leaving him open continuously. One 3-pointer after another on the way to 6 for the first period, and Ateneo put a chokehold on their rivals. The precision was a thing of beauty. Players kept moving and cutting, finding seams in DLSU’s defense. Mbala, who entered the game having scored below 30 points just once this season, looked lost against the Eagles’ double-teams. 

But everyone in the arena knew there was no way the Archers would go down easily. There was too much at stake. So slowly but surely, La Salle clawed its way back. Ateneo started turning the ball over, DLSU 3-balls started going in, and Eagles shots were clanking off the rim. Mbala came to life, aided as well by another star-in-the-making in Ricci Rivero. By the time the fourth quarter arrived, it was a back-and-forth affair. A game where each possession carried more weight than usual. Haymaker after another, there was no question the contest would go down to the final second. As Thirdy Ravena put it, “Until the end, you didn’t know who would win.”

There’s nothing more painful in basketball than to have the taste of victory in your mouth only for the other team to steal it right under your nose. Turning the ball over is the cardinal sin of the game. La Salle had 20 on Sunday, but none was more costly than the one that came with 7.8 seconds remaining. The score read 75-74 in favor of the Green Archers. Had Montalbo successfuly inbounded the ball to Andre Caracut, DLSU probably sealed the win at the free throw stripe. But Matt Nieto, who had his “welcome to UAAP stardom” moment, picked off the pass and drew the foul. At the free throw line, as former UAAP MVP Kiefer Ravena put it, Nieto showed “cajones.” Both free throws were in – the final punch on what felt like a hell of a 12-round fight.

“I was denying Andrei. When I looked behind, I saw that everybody was denied also. So the chance is Andrei getting that lob from Kib, so I tried to tempt them to lob the pass. When the lob was there, I just tipped it to the court,” Nieto re-lived the play after the game.

“It’s really different if it’s Ateneo-La Salle. You can see no one wants to lose. Everyone gives it all in the court.”

Explained Mbala, “We really played poor and then that last-second shot, we didn’t execute well, so we paid the price. In a game [like] Ateneo-La Salle, you can’t afford to do things like that.”

The Eagles end the first round on top of the league standings with an undefeated 7-0 record. The Archers are right behind them at 5-2, tied with Adamson. But the disparity between both teams and the rest of the league speaks volumes. No one could rally against Ateneo this season once they built a lead, but it felt like a given that La Salle would do so. And nobody has made the defending champions look lost on the court, but it looked that way not long after tip-off. 

They will meet again in the second round, and then for what will likely be 3 games in the finals. If Sunday’s contest was any indication, everyone is in for a treat. Both sides are evenly matched. Their point of attacks are different. Different systems alright, but both deadly nonetheless.

“I don’t want to conclude,” said Montalbo when asked if it will be Ateneo they face in a finals series, “but probably.”

It’s more than probably. At this point, it looks like a sure thing. – Rappler.com

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