The Final Score: Jeff Chan and Ian Sangalang are odd slayers

Jeff Chan can’t intimidate anyone with his looks. Not even if he tried. He just can’t. Wala sa itsura eh. If intimidation by a player’s appearance was a stat, Jeff would be a negative 20. Hindi siya pang-three-point assassin. Hindi siya pang-any-kind-of-assassin. Pang boy-next-door. But only if that boy-next-door could play for Gilas and make outside shots like only a handful of guys in the country.

In the second half of game five of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals between San Mig Coffee and Rain or Shine, Chan displayed the shooting touch that certifies his status as Rain or Shine’s most dangerous shooter. If hindi mo pa napapanood si Jeff maglaro, malamang you won’t describe him as a dangerous player. It’s part of the ruse. He scored 23 of his 24 total points in the third and fourth quarter on a variety of attempts.

In the second half of game five, so long as Jeff finished taking a shot with that lethal leftie stroke, it was likely going in. Shooting positions didn’t matter. Chan scored on off-balanced shots. He scored on fall-away jumpers. He scored from the free throw line. He scored on must-make three-pointers. He scored on critical free throws that sealed the outcome of game five.

[Related: Rain or Shine stays alive, slays San Mig Coffee in game five]

When Rain or Shine players miss too many free throws, Coach Yeng Guiao often barks, “Yan na nga lang gagawin niyo, hindi pa kayo maka-shoot ng free throws! How can you be a professional basketball player?!” Coach Yeng didn’t have to bark at Chan or any of his other players after Rain or Shine stretched the series to a game six on Wednesday.

Here’s a funny thing about the title of this article. “Jeff Chan is an odd slayer” was not the original title of this article. It was “Ian Sangalang is an odd slayer” or something that sounded like it. Ang totoo niyan, I was expecting another stellar game from Sangalang in game five.

Sangalang, who reminds me of Rey Evangelista injected with a mega-dose of B-Meg Derby Ace Premium, had 17 points and eight rebounds in game four. San Mig Coffee’s rookie made 8-of-12 field goal attempts. He displayed unusual poise. He made big shots. Rookie ba talaga yan?! Best of all, his facial expression hardly changes. That is being steady. Or stoic. Or that is composure. Or maybe, shy-type lang talaga siya.

But after averaging 13 points and 6 rebounds from games two to four, Sangalang produced just 3 points and 4 rebounds in 22 minutes in game five. That statline, however, doesn’t change anything. Sanggalang is going to help the Mixers win a ton of games in the future.

In a way, Jeff and Ian are similar. They don’t look like WWE enforcers, which is why fans insist on comparing Jeff with Allan Caidic. Although after watching so many old PBA games on cable, I can confidently say that Jeff really looks and shoots like a young Allan Caidic, minus the thin 80’s bigote.

This is also why I insist on comparing Ian with Rey Evangelista. Always stoic. Always steady. There’s Alvin and Jerry. And then there’s Rey. Similarly, there’s James, PJ, Ping and Mark. And then there’s Ian. So it just feels right to connect Sangalang with the old-world legacy of Purefoods.

However, I’m back to wondering if Sangalang can withstand the pressure of a game six. I’m excited to see if he can.

As for Chan, I already know that he can play under the weight of yet another must-win game for the Painters. PBA-proven. Gilas-tested.

And yet, each time Jeff makes a crucial three-point shot, I remember a ludicrous thought. As a high school player in Bacolod, he never imagined he would make it to the PBA. He didn’t fantasize about playing alongside PBA stars. He didn’t tell friends that he would someday become a basketball star in Manila. It sort of just happened.

I suppose Jeff’s shooting hand just showed him the way. It showed him the way from Bacolod to FEU. It showed him the way from FEU to the PBA. He’s hoping it will also show his team the way from game six to game seven. - AMD, GMA News