AirAsia Patriots just as lethal without the ball

THE AIRASIA Phil-ippine Patriots are on a five-game winning clip in the Asean Basketball League (ABL) and are well on their way to the playoffs.

Now with 12 wins and two losses, the Patriots are eyeing the championship no less with perhaps only the San Miguel Beermen (11-4)  standing in their way. One of their two losses was inflicted by the Beermen in a tension-packed 68-66 affair. The two Philippine squads can be expected to meet again down the road after the eliminations.

Offensively, there’s no question that the Patriots are lethal, what with a pair of athletic and nimble imports. Nakiea Miller and Anthony Johnson compliment a lineup of Filipino players that are as fleet-footed and aggressive as they are. Pro-veterans Al Vergara, Warren Ybañez, Francis Adriano, Jonathan Fernandez and Eddie Laure can score on the break or from the outside.

But the biggest asset that the Patriots have is probably their defense, and they have enough tactics in that area to turn to when the need arises. Last Saturday, the Patriots were being seriously challenged in the first half by the visiting Chang Thailand Slammers at the Ynares Sports Arena. The Slammers led by as much as six as the Patriots groped for rhythm.

The Thais were riding the crest of an 80-69 win over the Malaysia Dragons, a triumph coming after three straight setbacks. Winning after losing for so long is quite a high and you want to extend the sensation. What’s more, the Slammers needed a win to improve their chances of making it to the next round since they had only five wins in 14 games and were mired with the Singapore Slingers, Bangkok Cobras and the Saigon Heat near the bottom of the standings.

They were playing with enthusiasm and were getting dividends from their pair of imports, Christopher Garnett and Calvin Williams. But at the start of the second half, the Patriots decided to apply a 2-2-1 full-court press that forced several turnovers and unraveled a 14-2 run. It took nearly three and a half minutes before the Thais could solve the unnerving, choking press.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Patriots pressed again at the top of the fourth quarter to take the fight out of the Thais and sailed to an 89-68 victory. It didn’t help the Slammers that Garnett was peeved by a contact in the shaded area and wanted to vent out his frustration on Laure. Later on in the game, both Garnett and Williams wanted to take on the whole Patriots bench and were endlessly jawing them about the banging on the court.

When you have Glenn Capacio as your  coach, expect an emphasis on the defensive aspect of the game. In the PBA, Capacio was a heady defender, even taking on the import of opponents despite being shorter or less stockier than them. The Patriots have enough weapons to get the job done when they have the ball but can hurt opponents even more when they don’t have it.