The La Salle Green Archers look at what is right in front of them to keep themselves grounded in their UAAP Season 87 men's basketball title retention bid.
It was all about keeping themselves in the present for the La Salle Green Archers as they booked their trip back to the finals in the UAAP Season 87 men's basketball.
Right after the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons secured their own slot in the championship stage as they saw off the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, the Green Archers did the same by handily beating the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 70-55, in their own Final Four contest on Saturday, Nov. 30.
Coming into the game with a 27.5-point win margin average against the Soaring Falcons, La Salle chose to let that stat go out the window the moment that the ball tipped off — because in the semifinals, what happened during the eliminations did not matter.
[RELATED STORY: La Salle routs Adamson, forges finals rematch vs UP in UAAP Season 87 men's basketball]
Green Archers veteran big man Mike Phillips subscribed to a mindset inspired by a pre-game speech made by his teammate Raven Gonzales in the locker room: It all came down to being able to focus on the moment and not what’s behind or ahead of the reigning titlists.
“I think I was kind of inspired by the speech that Raven Gonzales gave before the game: It was all about being in the present. And for me, that’s always one I struggled with. You know, living in the present," said Phillips.
"He really touched home. He said, 'Wag ninyong isipin 'yung future or 'yung past ninyo. Basta, dapat palagi kayong nasa present.' And for me, it was really just having that trust in my teammates, trust in the community,” he added.
The rest, La Salle will leave up to God.
“Whatever happens, we just stay in the moment. Si God ang bahala sa lahat. We just try to do our best and let God take care of the rest. That really is something that we cling to as a team.” he added.
Phillips finished with an all-around outing of eight points, eight rebounds, four assists, five steals and two blocks.
La Salle takes it one moment, one play at a time
La Salle's Mike Phillips battles for the leather against Matty Erolon of Adamson in their UAAP Season 87 men's basketball Final Four tiff on Saturday, Nov. 30. | Photo (c) RM Chua/One Sports
Living in the moment also means that the Green Archers had to keep the impending finals berth out of their mind.
Though heavily favored against the fourth-seeded Soaring Falcons, La Salle would be treading on dangerous ground if it looks too far ahead, even if it was armed with a twice-to-beat edge.
It is all about focusing on what is right in front of them, because, as they say, one cannot get that moment back, which also applies during the match.
“It’s something that, you know, it sums up in the next play. You can’t get any play back; you can’t get any moment back. And like Coach Topex (Robinson) said, when you wake up, you can’t get that sunshine back. So it’s just about soaking in the moment, soaking in,” Phillips said.
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With Adamson trying to put up a fight as it brought La Salle's lead down to 13, 50-63, with less than four minutes left in the match, the Green Archers clung to their philosophy.
But Phillips was relentless and Kevin Quiambao remained reliable, and thus La Salle still ran away with the victory.
And now, with the Final Four task done, the Green Archers could now set their sights on what comes next: defending their throne in the finals.
Phillips and the rest of the Green Archers plunge back into action in Game One of the championships slated on Sunday, Dec. 8, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.