Apertura Semi-Final: San Ramon 2 Escazu 1

I still can't sleep right.

We lost to ARBA San Ramon in the Apertura Semi-Finals 2-1. I refrain from posting during a playoff series because a) it's a very busy week where time is best allocated elsewhere and b) I want to limit the information the other team gets (what up SR peeps 👊). 

So here's what you missed:

Game 1: Escazu 68 San Ramon 91

So far this season, the vast majority of our games have been close games. Not this one, a blowout loss is not the ideal way to get the playoffs started. Just a week earlier we had played San Ramon well on the road, but it was evident that they came out with some adjustments to change the tone of the game. Nino Williams came in hitting his shots and establishing his authority on the offensive glass, but the scoring attack was balanced with Giorgio Milligan chipping in 17 and Marcos Castillo adding 14.  San Ramon placed a high emphasis on containing Nick Leon, trapping him on all ball screens and limiting him to just 12 points. The San Ramon defence forced us into our worst shooting night of the season. The final score says we lost by 23, but really it wasn't that close.

Blowout losses are the trickiest outcomes in coaching. Doubt creeps in, making you question things. Left unchecked, you can end up questioning every thing. Person, systems, lineups, decisions, routines; it all comes into play. The most frustrating aspect is that in a lopsided loss, you see your team at its worst. Is that really my team? You always know your team is capable of a stinker...just like you also know that you're capable of the perfect game.

Game 2: San Ramon 101 Escazu 105 (OT)

The second game was back in Escazu in the friendly confines of our gym. The greatest advantage to playing at home is familiarity with the rims. During our Thursday practice before the game we shot...a lot. That extra emphasis was quickly evident as our guys were hitting their shots from all over the place: Dave Milliner and Clifford Smith had a hot first quarter, sticking their early jumpers. San Ramon also came out firing, resulting in a high-scoring first half with an edge for the home team 47-40.



Things cooled down in the second half. San Ramon chipped away at our lead. Every time we would break out a two possession lead they would make a big basket. Giorgio Milligan shouldered the load, eventually scoring 35 points. On our side, Michael Jackson took over, scoring 39 points on a variety of dunks, jump shots and cutbacks. It would have been a lot more enjoyable if it weren't our playoff lives on the line. With 18 seconds to go, we called a play for Nick Leon to attack the basket on the final possession, but apparently muggings are allowed in our league on final shots. Fortunately, we were able to recover in overtime and pull out the victory.

 Game 3: San Ramon 93 Escazu 91 (OT)

Thanks to the advantage in tiebreakers, we had the third game at home. It was a game worthy of a deciding game. Both teams had big runs, trading the lead over the course of the game. We took the lead in the first quarter. San Ramon took the lead in the second. The hot shooting from both sides in Game 2 was replaced by a much grittier encounter. What stayed the same was the duel between Giorgio (31 points)  and Mike (36 points). Our offence stalled in the third quarter and SR was able to capitalise, stretching out their lead to eleven. To make matters worse, Clifford Smith aggravated a leg injury forcing him to the bench.

Not a foul, obviously.

There are times when you just have to go with your gut. One of our bench wings, David Gourzong, hasn't played a lot this year. David has a demanding job as an engineer which affects his availability for practice. It's hard to get in the flow of things, both from an individual and team standpoint without court time. However, David is a good defender and a heady player, so I decided to roll with him and put him on the blazing hot Milligan. Another key development was Nino Williams picking up his fifth foul early in the quarter, which allowed us to do a better job of helping on penetrations to the basket. A string of defensive stops allowed us to quickly erase San Ramon's lead and tie things up with five minutes to go. Nick Leon was struggling with his outside shot, but he was able to get inside on dribble penetration, hitting some big shots and feeding Juan Carlos Rosich. There we were up six point with a little over a minute left.

Now look, I don't like to harp on refereeing. There is big room for improvement in this league. The bad officiating affects all teams, and I'm fully aware that San Ramon got some horrible calls as well. What is tough to digest is when all the calls go against you in the deciding moments of the game, and there were four tough calls in the last minute or so, including a phantom foul on a three-point shot (Gourzong on Milligan) and a very quick five second count while we have the ball with ten seconds to go, up three. San Ramon got the ball in the hands of Daniel Simmons for a three point shot, which our shot blocker decided to challenge. Unfortunately, he came down on the shooter, giving him three shots at the line. Simmons...this clutch motherfucker hit all three free throws to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Gourzong on Milligan

Unlike Friday's night game, my team was very deflated that the game went to an extra period; we had let the game slip through our fingers. The refs blew three fouls on San Ramon on our first three possessions in OT, as if they felt guilty about those questionable calls to end the game. Things got tough when Michael was called for his fifth foul. San Ramon took a quick three point lead, but we were able to tie the game with two big free throws from Juan Carlos Rosich. With 18 seconds to go, San Ramon had the final possession to win the game. Coach Jorge Arguello put the ball in Giorgio Milligan's hands. Giorgio  was able to turn the corner and get close enough to the basket to hit the game winner over our help defenders as the final whistle sounded. Game and series over.

Notes

• We had back-to-back 30 point performances form Michael Jackson and Giorgio Milligan in this series, despite each defence's best attempts to slow them down. Michael also added in 16 and 18 rebounds in those games.
• The refs decided to start calling technicals on flops in the playoffs, something they had not been doing during the regular season. It's like the exact opposite of what they should be doing. Those technicals were brutal for San Ramon in Game 2 and crucial for us in Game 3 (technical on a jumper in the fourth quarter? C'mon, get serious). 
• Barva and San Ramon will square off in the finals of Apertura. Coming up next, Clausura.