And that’s what the AirAsia Philippine Patriots failed to do in the payoff period in their painful 58-66 defeat at the hands of the Chang Thailand Slammers Sunday night at the start of their ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) Season 2 Finals series.
“We couldn’t execute our plays. We couldn’t win if we’ll play that kind of game,” Patriots coach Louie Alas said.
Gunning for back-to-back championships, the Patriots couldn’t carry out their game plan in the face of Thailand’s tough 2-3 zone defense, resulting in a forgettable three-field goal performance in the fourth quarter.
The Patriots entered the fourth quarter tied with the Slammers at 47-all, but missed several offensive plays, allowing the Slammers to unleash a decisive 11-0 run that turned the game around in host’s favor.
It was the third defeat of the Patriots to the Slammers this season.
But the defending champions will try to put all the stops as they bid to extend the best-of-three series to full route when they battle the Thais anew in Game 2 on Saturday at the Filipinos’ home court, Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
The Patriots, who head home today, posted their worst field goal percentage so far this season, converting only 21 of 78 field goal attempts for 27 percent, an output which pales in comparison to Thailand, which shot 24 of 56 for a 43 percent clip.
The Filipinos actually controlled the paint, outrebounding the Thais, 42-29, but found blanks in their shooting.
“Nanalo tayo sa rebounds, pero hindi natin yon na-take ng advantage,” Alas said
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