Slingers vs Tigers Match Analysis: Slingers mired in mid season rut

By Ian Chew

Singapore Indoor Stadium, Monday, December 7, 2009 – It is scary when you cannot really put your finger on what is going wrong.

Despite a bright start when the Slingers jumped to an eight-point lead at one stage in the first quarter, the momentum quickly fizzled as the Slingers slumped to a horrendous 7-22 run in the second quarter.

They failed to pick up their energy levels in the third and left it till the fourth for a final charge. It was too little, too late however, as the Tigers held on for a 65-62 victory which consigned the Slingers to their second successive home court loss in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL).

Game Analysis
It was a match there for the taking. Coming off a 10-day break in the league, the Slingers were expected to be fully prepared for this encounter.

Instead, it was the Tigers that regrouped impressively after a first quarter setback and steadily built their lead through well-executed plays. Kruatiwa, Doruelo and Lertmalaiporn all connected from outside the 3-point line for 8 of 24 shooting.

That was to prove the difference as the Slingers, normally composed in shooting baskets from beyond the arc, were restricted to a harried 5 of 23 conversion rate.

It was also to their credit that the visitors coped brilliantly with a zonal defense adopted by the home team in the third quarter, making quick passes and taking advantage of gaps to shoot high percentage shots. The Slingers, on the other hand, seemed confused in their roles and yielded several offensive rebounds to the Tigers during this period.

A fourth quarter all-out full court press by the Slingers seemed to yield results as they embarked on an 11-5 run. but the Tigers held on for a deserved win despite a shocking one of 10 free throw shooting by Tigers centre Nwankwo Ikenna.

Team Analysis
The falling energy levels of the Slingers must be a cause of concern for the management. The players’ failure to rotate quickly enough in defense allowed the Tigers to run riot in offense in the second quarter.

However, what was perhaps a more fundamental flaw was the players’ lack of confidence in and among themselves. Poor decision making resulted in the players not converting on the fast break plays and hesitating when presented with the opportunity. This could have been due to a very successful Tigers defense which succeeded in creating doubts in the players’ minds.

On the other hand, the Tigers put in a surprisingly well-drilled team performance and look nothing like the team that was last in the standings earlier in the season.

Player Analysis
Head coach Frank Arsego was understandably upset in his quick exit from post match interviews. Why would he be happy when most of his charges have underperformed from their usual high standards?

Yet of all the Slingers I would select Marcus Ng as the best performer for the evening. Undoubtedly, he needs to work on his shooting, yet his energy and commitment was at a high level as seen with his grabbing four offensive rebounds and keeping the Thai player Attaporn Lertmalaiporn quiet on offense.

View from the sidelines
A flat second quarter performance by the Slingers which gave the home crowd little to cheer for, coupled with an amateurish half-time show, made this writer wonder what he was doing at the game during the half-time break. Only the verve of the Slinger girls provided some form of relief.

Conclusion
This home loss is their third defeat in the last four games, their sole win coming from their comeback victory over Satria Muda BritAma – a good definition of a rut.

In the absence of any new signings as well as the improvement shown by the other teams, the Slingers need desperately to pick themselves up for the upcoming games if they wish to finish in the top four and qualify for the playoffs. The Slingers lie second on the table at the moment.

See first quarter highlights of game:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc4ozKiG7zk

See third quarter highlights:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDXhumu2Gpc