Alaska’s comeback wasn’t pretty. And it’s how they wanted it to be.
Wednesday evening, the Alaska Aces were able to secure a much-needed twice-to-beat advantage after taking a huge come-from-behind win against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 94-89.
The comeback though was not furious. It was more of a cerebral breakdown of the potent Elasto Painters offense as they were able to seal all fronts and limit Rain or Shine to just six field goal attempts in the final three minutes of the game.
It was not pretty but it was the Alaska way of doing things.
With 5:46 remaining in the game, Calvin Abueva, the heart and soul of the Aces, was assessed with his sixth personal foul. Taking his place and leading the stand on the defensive end was Ping Exciminiano. At that point though, they were down by five points, 81-86, and struggling to put together points.
“Nasa utak ko lang nun kahit down kami, mas lalo na sa akin bilang isang defender, gusto ko lang maka-stop ng maka-stop.
“Lahat kami yun lang nasa isip namin para maka-push kami sa kabila,” the two-time All-Defensive team member shared.
Possession by possession, they were able to force the once-hot Elasto Painters, challenging shots, chasing loose balls, and crashing the boards. When the final buzzer had sounded, Rain or Shine was left dumbfounded, not knowing what just hit them.
“I don’t know the stats but the last few minutes, we defended really well. It was tough that we have to worry about all the Elasto Painters, they can all shoot the ball. We were able to force some stops and challenge their shots,” added Alaska head coach Alex Compton.
Exciminiano, who finished the game with six points and a steal but played the final five minutes of the game, believes that it’s the team’s culture that has helped them notch the twice-to-beat edge once more in the All-Filipino conference.
“Lahat kami tulong-tulong dito. Unang araw pa lang ng mga rookies namin, depensa talaga tinuturo namin. Hindi namin iniisip kung sino magiging hero, kung sino sco-score.
“Ang iniisip lang namin paano makakuha ng stops. Tulad nila [Kevin] Racal at Jaypee [Mendoza], hindi naman nila iniisip mag-score. Ang importante ay makakuha ng stops,” the 28-year-old defensive specialist added.
And with two more rounds separating them from making it to the Finals for the third straight year, the proud son of Olongapo City is more than ready to bring his hard-nosed defense to anyone who stands in their way.
“Sobrang ready na ko. Gusto talaga naming makabalik ng Finals kaya iisa-isahin namin lahat,” the four-year league veteran vowed.
