Gavina’s squad shackles Howard’s team
FILIPINO American coach Chris Gavina had mixed emotions heading into his team Taichung Suns’ keenly-awaited match against the Taoyuan Leopards who boast of former NBA superstar Dwight Howard as one of their imports.
The 6-foot-10 Howard was coming off a dominant debut for the Leopards in his first appearance in the Taiwan T1 League, scoring 38 points, grabbing 25 rebounds and issuing nine assists in a near triple-double effort to lead his team to a 120-115 overtime win against the New Taipei CTBC DEA.
Gavina knew what Howard could do, especially inside the paint, where he could simply use his brute strength to bully his defenders.
Yet, the Suns’ new head coach shared how he spent his time crafting a game plan against the former NBA Slam Dunk king.
“I was excited because I knew we had prepared extremely well going into the game, so that gave me confidence that we could play well if we executed our game plan on offense and defense,” Gavina told The Manila Times.
“And nervous knowing that he went for 38 points and 25 rebounds in his first game in T1 league.”
With former PBA imports Diamond Stone and Tony Bishop playing for the Taichung squad, Gavina explained how their defensive plays were made to prevent Howard from getting easy baskets.
“In regards to preparation, we really broke down how we wanted to play him once he got the ball in the post,” said Gavina, who served as Rain or Shine’s head coach for over a year before moving over to Taiwan.
“We knew that it would be a difficult task for just single coverage on Dwight, so we committed to dig on the post and create walls around him.”
Taichung managed to follow its game plan, leading to its 103-94 triumph on the road against Taoyuan as they held Howard to 23 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
The loss dropped the Leopards to 1-2 for the new T1 League season.
Gavina’s team, meantime, got the muchneeded bounce-back win following its 109-94 defeat to the TaiwanBeer HeroBears on the road.
Stone, who played just three games for San Miguel in the ongoing 2022-23 PBA Commissioner’s Cup, fired 29 points to lead the Suns, lacing his performance with five triples, along with 11 rebounds.
On the other hand, Bishop, who led Meralco to a runner-up finish in last season’s Governors’ Cup, added all-around numbers of 26 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Gavina would have wanted to celebrate a big win like this, knowing the superstar status Howard enjoys in Taiwan. But he’s got no time to do that yet, knowing Taichung will be facing off with Taoyuan once again this coming Saturday at the close of the Suns’ back-to-back home games.
Gavina admitted not having a chance to chat with Howard before or after the game, but he’s looking forward to seeing the former NBA Slam Dunk king this coming weekend.
“But we have them (Leopards) again this Sunday at our home court so I’m sure I’ll have another opportunity to be able to interact with him then,” he said.