At one point in the first half of the PBA Governors’ Cup game between NLEX and San Miguel Beer last Sunday, a whistle went against Robert Bolick on a close play for the ball.
Instinctively, the NLEX star, his face in disbelief and words already forming on his lips, turned toward the referee to protest.
But before he could say anything, Bolick caught sight of their new head coach standing in front of the NLEX bench. From across the Smart Araneta Coliseum floor, Jimmy Alapag’s message was unmistakable: Let it go. Get back on defense.
Without a whimper, Bolick zipped it, lowered his head and sprinted back on D.
That sequence became the pattern for NLEX throughout the physical but free-flowing contest: relentless but never out of control; aggressive but always in sync.
Needless to say, the Road Warriors—following a game plan centered on slowing down San Miguel’s key scorers, running at every opportunity, and avoiding the distractions that often come from griping about officiating—stunned the Beermen, 110-96, for their fourth straight victory.
Even when San Miguel, which was still without head coach Leo Austria full time, whittled down what had been a 25-point NLEX lead to single digits midway through the fourth quarter, the calm, steady hand of Alapag remained evident on the floor. The Road Warriors refused to panic or descend into chaos.
With their new mentor keeping his composure while the enemy pounded at the gate, they stayed true to their system and clung fiercely to the discipline instilled by someone who breathes fire without belching sulfuric fumes.
“I thought we were very resilient, especially in the second half,” Alapag said. “I thought our poise was great for the young team that we have. We were able to get stops and score when we needed to.”
Resilience. Poise. The ability to get stops and score when it mattered most. Impressive.
What was even more remarkable, however, was the level of maturity NLEX displayed against a seasoned, multi-titled San Miguel squad loaded with future Hall of Famers. Equally striking was the exciting brand of basketball the Road Warriors played, with undeniable traces of NBAesque alley-oops and hand-offs sprinkled here and there.
NLEX had shown flashes of that before, even during the Jong Uichico era. But this time, something else seemed to have rubbed off on them.
And it came all the way from Sacramento.
