Salva, Salva, and oh... Salva!!!

Let's drink to that!

What more can I say about this guy? He has been a major cog in the Ateneo Express that has been mowing down every team, leaving hanged heads in its wake. When will they learn that the Blue Eagles isn’t a team about Greg Slaughter, or Kiefer Ravena? Then again I cannot fault them. Choose one, the other goes off. Choose two, Salva goes off!

The game started rather slowly before the Blue and White got a 12-11 lead midway through the first half. However, at the turn of the second quarter, the team that ran FEU to submission in Game 1 of the Finals last year showed up and boy was it a joy to watch. They were all over the court, especially on that end that I intend to favor more than the other, defense.

Defense is what it takes to win championships. Defense is this champion’s calling card. Defense is that one constant that will be forever ingrained in anyone who wears the Blue and White with an Ateneo across his chest. Defense is what one of our captains, Captain Kirk, does best. And this is where it all starts and ends. Unfortunately for Bobby Ray Parks, he won’t have another chance to solve the Long problem as this is cap’s final year.

As Coach B was quoted at the end of the game, “The offense will take care of itself.” And it was taken care off, by the one considered to be the third banana on the team, and was believed to be an actual bust by a genius who hasn’t seen him play. Hark, he’s methodically destroying teams. Look, he shoots a jumper, it goes in, the defender will have to pull up to keep him closed out. But once he does that, boom! The said third banana unleashes that Kobe-esque first step and finishes on the rim, and yeah, I was waiting for that throw down towards the end of a beautiful fastbreak plays. As Kevin Harlan would say, “Up high! Down hard!” Heads up UAAP, Nico Salva is making Nonoy Baclao, our dear and beloved president, a prophet for telling us he’ll be better than The Rocket was when he still flew high and mighty above defenders.

But make no mistake, “Up high! Down hard,” doesn’t mean we’ll go down. It means the opposion who wants to fly as high as us (hark, they’re soaring) will go down hard. Yes, I want a beatdown next Saturday and I’m looking at you Greg, to beat the crap out of Manyara. And I’m looking at you Nico, to make Camson shut up. And yes, you Kiefer, to put Alex Nuyles in his rightful place, kneeling on the floor, groveling infront of the Blue Mamba.

5 for the Blue and White-Nico Salva. Once more, he gets the top spot for me. With scintillating games left and right, I can’t ask more from the third banana. 3 more games for the season, Nic. Show them what you can do. Make them witnessesses as well.

• Kirk Long. I cannot ask for more from our dear captain. He has done everything and anything for the Blue and White and relishes at the fact that he is a defender who is way above his peers. Name me one lockdown defender who can boast the same way? Yeah, no one.
• Greg Slaughter. Pounding a former MVP candidate into submission? Heck, that’s just another day in the office. Although I’d love a little more emotion from our big man and that mean streak please. I know that when you have it on, you’d send Manyara packing and quitting basketball entirely. Please Greg, please! Ram five throwdowns on Saturday! :P
• Kiefer Ravena. Well it just goes to show that scoring 30 points is nothing. Has he hit 30? Nope. His season high is at 24 and I’m totally fine with it. Why? He’s a daily 15-5-3-2stls kind of guy. That I would not exchange for 30 points.
• Emman and Zags. Well, we are no four-man team. Zags has been tearing it up off-the-bench though I’d like to see him in a combo with Oping for that toughness factor on defense that screams, “TAKE NO PRISONERS!!!” As for Emman, he doesn’t have to score as much as he did last year, which is totally fine. He’s still the team’s pilot on the court.

P.S.

• Why does Ray Parks sit down when Kirk sits down? It’s not as if the one subbing for Kirk can defend him as well.
• Emmanuel Mbe has been a chump all season long. So long Mbe... Abdul is the foreign player who rules now.
• The rest of the NU team is pathetic. They can’t move without the ball to save their lives and they can’t shoot to save their lives. Just goes to show that you are still lightyears away from a ring. 54+ years and still counting.
• I really want that 29-0 to prove a point and Greg ramming down 5 in Manyara’s face to shut Adamson up. I don’t give a crap about their angry birds campaign. Heck, they should get Greg mad. I won’t feel sorry for them if he decides to go berserk on them (not as in fighting, but tearing them up piece by piece).

by Mr. Orange