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A starter who loses his place in the top five usually leads to a reduction in that player’s confidence. However, coming off the bench worked wonders for Meralco point guard Baser Amer, as he bounced back from a poor performance in Game 1 to help the Bolts level the best-of-five series against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. to one victory each.
Meralco head coach Norman Black, feeling his point guard was struggling with the pressure of the semifinal matchup, relegated Amer to his bench for Game 2.
Amer put in an atrocious performance to open his semifinal stage with two points on 1 of 10 shots from the field in Game 1, a 96-79 win for Geneva, though he had three rebounds and two assists.
“I wasn’t happy the last game. He didn’t play very well the last game, but tonight [Friday] he played better, “Black said after his team posted a 95-77 victory on Friday night.
“We took a little pressure off him by making Nard Pinto our starting point guard,” Black explained. “It gave him the opportunity to watch the game from the bench and enter the game against the second team from Geneva. I am very happy with the way he responded, the way he managed the team, and hopefully he plays like this consistently.”
Amer was efficient in Game 2 with 10 points, a rebound and a steal in 19 minutes. He also hit a great triple in the fourth quarter to set the tone for the Bolts’ great streak. Meralco was over 31 when he was on the court as his bench dominated the matchup against Barangay Geneva’s second unit, beating them 39 to 16.
“Playing from the bench helped ease the pressure,” admitted Amer in Filipino. “Whatever coach Norman’s decision is, we will follow it because we have full confidence in him. Yesterday, in practice, they told me that I will play from the bench, which helped relieve the pressure.
Amer explained that the pressure he’s referring to is on the defensive side.
“Defense has been my weakness. I have tried to improve it, but my teammates told me that I played well before,” said the point guard. “When we got back to the hotel, I only watched Game 1. I saw my struggles, but I also learned a lot from that. Coach Norman challenged me to play better than Game 1. It just gave me confidence to play my game. He wasn’t asking me to. he scored a lot. I just wanted him to play better defensively and speak on the court. “
Playing off the bench could be an option for Amer and the Bolts and it turned out to be a great solution to a situation they faced in Game 1. However, the long-term solution is still on Amer’s shoulders and it’s not if he should it start or not. Meralco needs Amer to make the leap so that the whole team can move forward as well.
They defeated Barangay Geneva by one game and now he will have to play with the same level of confidence constantly to try and beat them two more times. They take the first step on Sunday (6:30 pm live on TV5, One Sports and PBA Rush) when the Bolts and Gin Kings break their 1-1 stalemate.
