It was one of the easiest predictions of the year. Who will face off in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball finals? It’s between the De La Salle University Green Archers against the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons.
The Final Four cast has diversified, Ateneo’s Final Four streak has ended, but the finalists remain the same and hardly anyone got it wrong. The Final Four was short, and somewhat anticlimactic, and it led us to where we always thought we’d be: An Archers-Maroons rematch.
However, picking a winner between the two most dominant teams in UAAP Season 87 is the tricky part.
All signs point to Green
The Magic 8-Ball has an answer that says “All signs point to Green.” If you look at the head-to-head match-up this season, it seems clear that La Salle dominated UP, beating them convincingly in two outings.
Both wins were in double digit leads, a mean feat against the strong offense of the Maroons.
In their second outing, a 77-66 victory by the Archers, the Green school locked UP in the third quarter, holding them to just 8 points. The Maroons have been notorious for making its run in the third and La Salle beat them at their own game.
This shows how thorough coach Topex Robinson is and how much he has analyzed his opponent. The Archers are winning not just on talent, but coach Robinson has had an edge in their two outings.
Expect UP coach Goldwin Monteverde make the necessary adjustments now that they’re in a best-of-three series.
Dominant duo
The Green Archers are led by one of the best front court duos ever assembled: Kevin Quiambao and Michael Phillips
Quiambao is set to be awarded his second straight MVP, the first local to win it back-to-back since Kiefer Ravena way back in 2014-2015. KQ is a legit big with guard skills and range while Phillps is a rebounding savant, third overall in the tournament and number one among local players.
Despite having Quentin Millora-Brown on the other side, the Archers definitely have the advantage in the front line. They don’t even rely on their FSA (foreign student-athlete) for rebounds and interior defense because of Phillips, and KQ is one of the best clutch shooters in the league today.
The Archers overall roster may be a bit weaker than last season (when they had Evan Nelle and Jonnel Policarpio) but that was offset by the simply dominant showing of their super tandem.
This is now the biggest thorn for the Maroon bigs. Only Millora-Brown has been consistent for them, as much of the scoring is done by their guards.
Conclusion
Just like in the PBA Finals, the favored team is the one who does not need to get lucky in order to win. La Salle has shown that twice, and in fact, it is the Maroons who should muster good fortune to stand a chance against the Archers.
The Maroons have the depth, but they don’t have a dominant player who’ll take over aside from JD Cagulangan. It’s a wonder how Gerry Abadiano or Terrence Fortea have yet to take the mantle of the go-to-guard, perhaps because they relied too much on JD. They have to grow into the role next season as Cagulangan steps out.
For this series, the UP guards have to be more proactive as they can’t afford to have their Green counterparts to outshine them. That’s the only way to win, aside from La Salle having a bad shooting night. Reluctantly predicting the Archers in 3 games for Kevin Quiambao’s likely swan song.
Shorts
This was supposed to be the year the Maroons’ front court grows up, since they lost their anchor, Malik Diouf. The sudden recruitment of Quentin Millora-Brown gave them an extra year. Gani Stevens and Sean Alter must take the cudgels, and we can finally see Seven Gagate play actual minutes.
Is La Salle prepared for KQ’s departure? They would still have Motor Mike.
Watching how much SMB is using new acquisitions Juami Tiongson and Andreas Cahilig reveals how long they have coveted these players. It’s not an accident. Who’s next for the harvest?
