The Final Score: The unbearable weight of Ginebra's Nate Brumfield

What does Nate Brumfield represent? He represents Ginebra's advantage against most teams, a reinforcement of the brawniest kind, shaped out of granite, owning mobility, playing with purpose. A turbo bulldozer that can dribble? A bronze monument that can shoot? He's just 6'4". But it's not his height which hurts. It's his width which wallops defenders away. In the PBA Semi-Finals, he represents the problem Gilas needs to solve. Brumfield scores 31 points in Game 1. He follows it up with 45 points in Game 2. Supposedly, Gilas has the ultimate import neutralizer; 6'11" Marcus Douthit. Supposedly, Gilas plays a style designed to confuse traditional pro teams. Supposedly, Gilas (ranked second after the elimination round) is favored over Ginebra. But Brumfield cares about notions the way he cares about Gilas defenders who stand in his way. He doesn't. Each time Brumfield drives, Gilas players try to absorb the impact. They see his face up close, too close. Like an Easter Island moai statue coming their way at 120 kph. Chris Tiu, in one play, attempts to stop Brumfield. Tiu braces for impact, closes his eyes, watches life go by like a computer slideshow -- Xavier days, Ateneo days, the time he studied in France, the TV show he hosted with Manny Pacquiao, the UAAP championship he won, suddenly recalling how young he is and how insane it was to have Brumfield's number 15 stamped on his forehead -- and takes the blow. He catapults into an area in Upper Box A. I wish I had Brumfield quotes for this column. But even when he speaks, words come out like gravel. He hesitates to explain how he breaks the limbs of those who try to restrain his. Hard-bodied. Soft-spoken. The pre-tournament chitchat is true, for now. Brumfield is an import who can lead Ginebra to the Finals. He isn't aggressive with words the way Mark Caguioa is. But his numbers reveal damage he can do in two Semis games: 76 total points. 35 total free-throws. Oh, the free-throws. Brumfield attempts 27 free-throws in Game 2. Gilas attempts 27 free-throws in Game 2, as a team! It's an eye-opener for officiating as it is for Gilas' defense. Read into it any way you want. But if Gilas wants to make it to London in 2012, chances are, getting there involves having the ability to shut-down a 6'4", 245-lb. pain in the neck. Is Gilas crumbling under the weight of Brumfield's massive arms and legs? Seems so. But they can still win Game 3 on Wednesday and be back in the hunt. Or they can continuously watch Brumfield dominate, the way no one should've under Douthit's watch. Winning by 41 points over San Miguel is the kind of exposure Gilas wanted. Trailing Ginebra, 0-2, in a best-of-5 series, struggling to keep Brumfield from biting someone's head off, is not the kind of Semis meltdown they want people to see. -- GMA News