Ace up Compton’s sleeve

Alaska coach Alex Compton dared to be different in Game 4 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals against Rain Or Shine at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Friday and wiggled out a surprise ace up his sleeve in a gamble where he had everything to lose.

Appropriately, the Alaska players are called the Aces and Compton found one in rookie Kevin Racal with their backs against the wall. Entering Game 4, Alaska faced the daunting task of winning four in a row to salvage the crown that has eluded Compton in three of the last four conferences. In Game 3, Compton did something different – he played Calvin Abueva off the bench after starting him in Games 1 and 2. That didn’t work as Rain Or Shine won, 112-108, and opened a 3-0 series lead to push Alaska on the brink.

Never running out of ideas, Compton tried another gambit. He plucked a page out of the Elasto Painters coach Yeng Guiao’s playbook and went unpredictable in his starting lineup. Compton replaced Ping Exciminiano in the first five with rookie Kevin Racal who hadn’t played in the Finals at all. In fact, Racal sat out nine of Alaska’s last 10 games so he was basically out of Compton’s regular rotation.

Racal, 24, was Alaska’s first round pick in last year’s draft but as the 11th overall choice, he wasn’t that highly touted. He made a name for himself at Letran, particularly last year when the Knights won the NCAA title. In the PBA, he’s hardly played, seeing action only twice in the Philippine Cup. Before Game 4 this conference, Racal played in nine games, going scoreless in five with a high of four points. He averaged 1.0 point, 0.7 rebound, 0.3 assist and 7.0 minutes, shooting 0-of-7 from beyond the arc and 3-of5 from the line. His PBA career hasn’t looked promising until Compton took a chance on the rugged 6-3 swingman last Friday.

**** With Exciminiano sitting on the bench, Racal made the most of his opportunity and delivered a career-high 7 points on 1-of-2 treys, 1-of-1 from two-point range and 2-of-2 foul shots in 19.56 minutes. He also delivered three rebounds and two assists in a performance that not only surprised Guaio but also the Alaska fans. Compton could’ve picked somebody else to take over from Exciminiano as a starter like Rome de la Rosa or Tony de la Cruz or Dondon Hontiveros but Racal got the call as his “magic bunot.”

Racal’s showing had a huge impact on the Aces in Game 4. Here was a seldom-used rookie playing his guts out with no fear. That sent a strong message to the rest of the Aces. If Racal could go out and battle like a warrior, surely, the mainstays could do the same. For the first time in the Finals, six Aces scored in twin digits and the balanced attack put Rain Or Shine on its heels from start to finish.

The Aces passed a test of character and blasted their way to a 111-99 win, dominating the boards, 47-37 and shooting at a high clip from the field, 54 percent to 41 percent. The Aces played solid defense which opened up opportunities in transition so that in another first in the Finals, Alaska had more fastbreak points, 15-3. Alaska gave up an average of 107 points in the first three games but limited Rain Or Shine to 99 in Game 4.

What Rain Or Shine did right in the first three games, Alaska did better in Game 4. The ball movement was evident in the way the Aces passed unselfishly to create 24 assists to the Painters’ 16, resulting in a higher shooting percentage. Rain Or Shine tried to beat Alaska from the three-point line while the Aces went about their business taking shots from mid-range.

**** In the first three games, Rain Or Shine averaged 13 three-point conversions, hitting 50 percent from distance. In Game 4, the Painters could knock down only 9-of-29, a 31 percent clip and that brought down their overall field goal clip to 41. Beau Belga, Chris Tiu, Jericho Cruz, Gabe Norwood, Paul Lee, Jireh Ibanes and Jeric Teng were a combined 0-of-14 from beyond the arc.

Hastening Rain Or Shine’s collapse last Friday was import Pierre Henderson- Niles’ anemic performance. He compiled only three points, five rebounds, one assist and four personals in 20:10 minutes in a forgettable appearance. Maverick Ahanmisi erupted for a career-high 30 points but one man couldn’t do the job of five. For Alaska, import Rob Dozier remained a hallmark of consistency. In the last two outings, he collected 23 points and 8 rebounds each.

Compton said Alaska will face Rain Or Shine in Game 5 at the Big Dome this afternoon without Exciminiano, Vic Manuel, Jvee Casio and Eric Menk. Racal was his surprise weapon in Game 4. Will he pull out another ace up his sleeves for Game 5? Or has he run out of aces? Alaska has survived one do-or-die contest so far. It will need to win two more in a row to force a winner-take-all Game 7. San Miguel Beer was in the same hole in the previous conference and recovered from 0-3 to beat Alaska in the best-of-7 Philippine Cup Finals.

It was San Miguel that frustrated Alaska in three of the last four Finals. How ironic that now, Alaska’s nemesis is its inspiration to fight back and bring down Rain Or Shine. Alaska has to do to Rain Or Shine what San Miguel did to the Aces. That will take a lot of doing but in Compton’s mind, for as long as the Painters haven’t won four, the door is open for a miracle.