One lazy Thursday afternoon

Best point guard in the league.  No question.

 
There's really something about this UE team that I can't quite capture.  It's clear that they are better than what their record suggests.  But they still suck to a certain extent, hence their horrible record.  And for one reason or another, they seem to play really well against the Blue Eagles.  I thought that the first round encounter was an aberration, that maybe the team was looking way ahead of this game.  But this lethargic Thursday game proved that the Red Warriors are not your ordinary cellar-dwellers, if there is such a thing.

JM Noble can definitely hoop.  Inside that hulking build is a smooth operator with a soft touch from the outside.  I didn't quite agree with having Frank defend him because speed-wise, Noble has the advantage.  Actually, I wouldn't have any of our big men defend him because it takes away a lot of our rebounding.  Noble torched us with shots from all angles and he definitely deserves plenty of credit.  The Four Perimeter Dudes and a Big lineup definitely works for UE.  And while I played around with the thought of having the team counter with our own version, we wouldn't have enough firepower on the offensive end.  Besides, teams have to adjust to the defending champion, not the other way around.

If Noble gained my respect, Lord Casajeros lost all of mine for him, not that he had that much to begin with.  He was just trollin' the whole game.  He tried to pull a fast one on Nico with a flop with a five-second delay.  That was just stupid.  Nico barely grazed him and he falls to the ground as if he was shot ten times in the chest.  I hope next time somebody gives him a real reason to fall on his back, and I don't even care if he gets up or not.

It was a horrible day for us offensively, as shots that would normally fall for us were not falling.  Even reliable free throw shooters could not find the mark.  However, when everyone else was struggling from the line, Emman was as steady as a rock, sealing the win after Paul Zamar and Noble gave us a reason to squirm a little bit.  It was nice to see Greg be aggressive and not settle for jump shots.  Equally nice was seeing Justin hit his midrange shots.  He didn't match his point total the previous game, but his points were crucial in keeping UE at bay, especially when Nico wasn't his usual self offensively.  

The issue of whether we have peaked or not may be of interest to some people, but not for me.  All I see are wins and losses, and Ateneo's record speaks for itself.  Of course, those goddamn haters will hold on to that peaking bullshit as some way to console themselves and help them sleep at night.  So to all you haters, keep on hating.  And don't tell me it's lonely at the top.  I know y'all are dying to join us here.  Dream on, fools.

Notes:

• I miss Juami.
• Had a not so nice experience at the stands today.  I'm sure it's just blown out of proportion in my head, but if you hear me out, you'll find yourself agreeing with me.  
• Hey, TGM.  Stop taking credit for everything good that's happening in Ateneo.  If your school were the wellspring of everything that's good in this world, I'm sure the only blemish it has is having to call you an alumnus.  I'm sure Franz Pumaren and Ryan Araña were epitomes of class back in the day.  Perfect gentlemen, if I ever saw one.

by Mr. Pink