Another Close Win for San Juan: The Numbers

For the third straight playoff game, the San Juan Knights blew a double-digit lead.
For the third straight playoff game, a Knight had to bail San Juan out in the end.

For the third straight playoff game, the experience of the defending champions had the upper hand in this one.

This wasn't exactly the kind of win that the San Juan Knights wanted to open the best-of-three semifinal series against the Pampanga Giant Lanterns but it was one that they got and whether you like it or not, it was one of the best wins of San Juan this season. 

With the scored tied at 84 apiece after Dexter Maiquez drained a pair of freebies, the ball went into the hands of reigning Finals MVP Mike Ayonayon who dribbled away the clock before hitting a floater to give San Juan an 86-84 win to open their semifinals. The ball even bounced off the ring before falling onto the net. Another game-winner for the PBA-bound Ayonayon. 

And he wasn't the lone Knight who had to fight off a hard-fighting Pampanga side.

John Wilson's Slump is Over(?)

In their quarterfinal series against the Pasay Voyagers, John Wilson, a guy who is averaging 20 points per game during the regular season, never reached the 20-point barrier. That made some pundits and fans worried because if John Wilson can't shake off his shooting woes against the Giant Lanterns who have a line-up loaded with proven scorers, it's going to be a long series for the Knights.

Fortunately, John Wilson shot exactly the way he should in last night's series opener. In 29 minutes, Wilson scored 21 points on 6 for 16 field goal shooting although he bricked 7 of his 9 attempts from the three-point line. As they say, shooters will always shoot and eventually, Wilson's shots will fall for him. After all, he's one of the best shooters in the league. Wilson also finished with 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Not bad at all.

The Small Things Made the Difference

Considering that San Juan shot 39% from the field and 33% from the three-point line, one can't help but wonder: how did they manage to pull this off?

For starters, San Juan was the more aggressive one on both ends as they forced 19 Pampanga turnovers which the Knights converted to 23 points at the other end. They also had more steals (11-7), and more blocks (7-3).  But perhaps, one of the key differences in the game was bench production. 

San Juan's bench scored 44 points while Pampanga's only managed 25 points- 3  points fewer than the combined output of Orlan Wamar and Jhnoard Clarito who had 13 and 15 respectively.  Larry Muyang, a former Knight, was the lone bright spot in Pampanga's bench with 12 points and 11 rebounds. 

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