62-51. That was the score. After three months of awesomeness, everyone witnessed the fact that Ateneo in this season is better compared to La Salle.
But yeah, it didn’t help that Rico Maierhofer played stupid.
One DICKHEAD move, motivated an outburst of emotions that triggered a chain of events that made the Eagles soar and the Archers plummet.
CONGRATULATIONS ATENEO!
Sorry DLSU fans, but you have to wonder how Rico Maierhofer would fare had he played in that pivotal fourth quarter. JVee Casio was the only gun working for the Archers but he is saddled with foul trouble. Rico had the tendency to come up big during the last salvo. Remember the 2007 Finals? If it wasn’t for him grabbing those loose balls and rebounds, UE would have accomplished their 16-0 season. Instead, UE played listlessly. Mark Borboran, Kelvin Gregorio, Elmer Espiritu, and the rest of the Warriors became Maierhofer’s zombies. Whenever he’s on the inside, no one mattered.
If there is one thing Ron Artest learned from being a Pacer, it’s the fact that you should never make contact with the crowd. Especially Det-Riot fans… most especially Det-Riot fans. Gary Payton was a notorious trash talker but he never lets it go out of the court. Charles Barkley threw insults (and fists) here and there but he is a freaking superstar and would do his dirty work either in a bar or some place away from the arena! Dennis Rodman, despite his weirdness and crazy antics, merely shrugged every insult bolstered to his face by a fan (or at least during his Chicago and Detroit years).
For the thousands in attendance and for the millions watching in their homes, offices, and yeah… schools, it is important that you should respect the name of your school. UST would have kicked out Jervy Cruz if he did something crazy that would make UST a laughingstock.
The fact is, he wouldn’t… and for all players forced to undergo a “war zone” that is two rivals facing off a crowd that either paid huge money for their tickets or had to beg the management to give them a free pass on the Upper Box A… or hell, the bleachers, they shouldn’t.
Whether it was for Rabeh Al-Hussaini, who owned Maierhofer in that center spot… or Ryan Buenafe who was crazily attacking the lanes and making Maierhofer look like a defenseless upstart… or worse, if it was for the fans…
(Hey DLSU fans, here’s the thing: if lets say, Maierhofer wasn’t an Archer and he panned a “F*ck You” sign directed at your face, seen in the camera… getting a zoom-angle from Studio 23’s slomo replay device.)
What will you do?
Yeah, the game could make or break your status in the school… possibly the alumni… and most probably your career as a professional basketball player. If Cholo Villanueva did not play like what he did in the 2007 Finals, will he get drafted? I am telling you… NO. But at the end of the day, sportsmanship will prevail.
After Maierhofer’s stupid and selfish play, DLSU clawed despite the absence of him and Casio to make it 50-47 at the end of three quarters. Then on the fourth, dismal scoring plagued both squads. It did not help that Franz Pumaren had to bench Casio since he has four fouls. In that quarter, Ateneo could only score 12 points but it sucked more for DLSU, who could only register four points.
Those points were all scored by PJ Walsham… the guy that replaced Rico Maierhofer after he was ejected. Casio was sent after the 5-minute mark only to find his self going back to the bench seconds later when he fouled out.
Ateneo then could not get the points from Al-Hussaini. Chris Tiu, Buenafe, and Jai Reyes who were all quiet in that stretch. Eric Salamat was sidelined due to cramps and it was only Nonoy Baclao who was doing the dirty work for the Eagles. If Rico was still in the game, Casio wouldn’t be the sole target in those sickening double teams. PJ Barua wouldn’t have been throwing fakes after fakes before shooting an ill-advised triple (it’s a known fact that nothing good could ever come up with those “after-fake-triples”), and there could have been more second chance points whenever Casio, LA Revilla, or James Mangahas come up with inaccurate shots. Without Maierhofer, DLSU settled for outside shots without getting a sure chance to get a rebound. Sure, they had a weakass offensive game then but if they had Maierhofer, they could have a dominating presence that could even get Baclao, Al-Hussaini and that black dude “that wears number 10 but his name is too complicated to spell” into foul trouble state.
By the way, where was Simon Atkins?
When the awarding ceremonies were taking place, DLSU did not accept their trophy and medals. Yes, the ejection played an extremely big part in their defeat, but if they had players stepping up, this would not have been the case. Maierhofer flipping the crowd, and swaying his head in disbelief is his way to say that his frustrations got the better of him. Eventually the DLSU coaching staff will get hold of the Game 2 tape. They’ll look at the events that unfold and when they see the dirty finger panning, they’ll realize that they need to look at their team in preparation for next year.
With Casio graduating, it will be Rico Maierhofer’s turn to be team captain. Yes at the Ateneo side, Chris Tiu would have left… but Al-Hussaini, Salamat, Baclao, Reyes, Buenafe and the other up-and-coming players from Ateneo will return to defend their crown. Imagine his hot-headedness leading a team full of second-year stars and untested veterans.
Maierhofer needs to grow up soon because if he wouldn’t, his last year as an Archer will not look pretty.
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