When first-year TNT head coach Nash Racela emerged from the dugout after Game Six on Sunday night, there was no semblance of regret nor sadness on his face even if his team had just suffered a devastating 91-115 loss that ended their Commissioner’s Cup run.
“Not the way we wanted it to it but ganun talaga, that’s life,” said Racela with his trademark smile. “Sometimes you plan for things… God knows better.
“Ang importante sa amin is that we know in our hearts, we did our best, and gave them our best shot. Kaya dapat okay kami.”
For six games, Racela and his troops had figured in a physically- and emotionally-draining series that featured numerous on and off court altercations. There was the “cheap shot” that Roger Pogoy threw at Arwind Santos in Game 2; the halftime incident between TNT’s reserve imports and San Miguel officials in Game 3; and the post-game confrontation between family members of TNT and SMB players in Game 5.
Still, the Beermen remained composed. The Katropa, on the other hand, did not. And Game Six was the microcosm of the series, according to the youthful mentor.
“I think more than the X’s and O’s, it’s really the character of San Miguel that won them the championship.
“Again, basketball is a game of spurts, game of runs but you look at them, even if we go up ten to fifteen points, nakikita mo sila, hindi sila na-ra-rattle,” Racela admitted, as San Miguel had led by as much as 28 points in the title-clinching game. “Again, that’s something that we need to learn. We have young players… Katulad kanina, during the first half, San Miguel was making tough shots pero kami parang bumibigay kami.
“Once you get to that level, alam mong lalaro ka lang ulit. Tuloy ka lang as you do the right things, try to do that again and make stops,” the UAAP champion coach furthered.
“Well, that’s the character of their team, that’s why they are champions. Kung kailan mo kailangan, that’s when they suddenly play well.”
But for the San Miguel Beermen to reach this level, they’d had to go through a lot of drama and experience rock bottom. They had gone through the fabled Petronovela run that eventually led to the Beeracle, and now complete domination.
And as Racela was watching the Beermen from the other side, he was able to find the peg of how a team should be built.
“We are in the process of getting there. Yan yung pinag-usapan namin kami. When you look at San Miguel and where they are right now, they never got to this stage overnight.
“Maraming drama yan before, Petronovela and ganiyan, it took them years before they won their championships. We are going through the same process and we just have to remind ourselves to be patient,” Racela, who became head coach of the Katropa last August, shared.
And as his scrum with the members of the media came to a close, Racela reflected on what they were able to accomplish this conference, including a semifinals series that saw them topple the top-seeded Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
“I saw a lot of positives, a lot!
“Just getting to the Finals is a positive thing. At least based from this conference, we were better than ten other teams. That’s a positive thing. It just so happened that one team was better than us,” Racela disclosed.
As they say, Rome was not built overnight.
