The Final Score: Adamson's forgettable finish to an unforgettable season

Adamson could’ve used Ken Bono in the 2010 UAAP Final Four. The last time Adamson made it to the semis, Bono and the Falcons pushed JC Intal and the Eagles to the edge. Adamson’s 2006 team thrived under playoff pressure its 2010 team couldn’t withstand. By the time Adamson recovered from its panic attack last September 19, the Blue Eagles were clearly winning a semi-final duel that was never close.

Pressure has different effects on teams. Some believe the stress makes them better. Some buckle under the strain of demands. Adamson’s response was a mixed-bag of wild shots, dull eyes and frayed nerves. Ordinary players tried to do the spectacular. Stellar players suddenly turned ordinary. Save for a brief rally in the second period, the Falcons looked lost in the frenzy of the Final Four. So while Ateneo’s Eman Monfort did his best impression of Serbia’s Milos Teodosic, the Falcons did their best impression of a deflating hot air balloon. Mr. Halili, you seem to be taking this too hard. Or, aren’t you being too hard on the Falcons? My answer: a bit of both. The Falcons were the sentimental choice. At the least, they were mine. Although La Salle was the fourth seed, based on disparate hardcourt success in the UAAP since 1986, third seed Adamson wins over La Salle in the sentimental category by a rout. I wanted Adamson to do well. Everyone else left out by Ateneo’s two-year reign as UAAP champions probably wanted the same. Fans root for the rebellion more than the empire. Yet, for professional reasons, I didn’t cheer for Adamson and hoped for a win. For personal reasons, I just hoped the Falcons kept the game close and made the playoff run they deserved. Sports writers and broadcasters don’t want teams to fail (okay sometimes we do) but often, we want to see teams overachieve. It was tough to watch overachievers end their season in such underachieving circumstances. Maybe fans will remember that Alex Nuyles had a two-handed slam dunk. Austin Manyara had one too. Two pretty yet inconsequential dunks stood out in a game of missed opportunities and bitter realizations. Each time Monfort hit what always looks like an off-balance three-pointer or sprinted past defenders to score lay-ups like a blur, the Falcons realized how Final Four basketball is played on a different level at breakneck speeds. After the game, there must have been stunned looks inside the Adamson dug-out. Faces must have been covered in large towels. Tears must have fallen. Hopefully, blame wasn’t passed around. For Adamson, the end of this season should be the promising start of the next one. It’s not what anyone wants to hear at the end of a lopsided loss. But the Falcons, even in a sputtering finish, gained a precious commodity not all teams have: playoff experience. The Falcons now have next year to prove that this year’s playoff meltdown was simply an aberration; that one blot on what truly was a brilliant season. -- GMANews.TV