What makes a champion team?

If there’s one man familiar with the inner workings of a champion team then it is undoubtedly Jojo Lastimosa,
one of the Philippine Basketball Association’s 25 greatest players and team captain of the Alaska Grand Slam team of the 90s.

Lastimosa said the most talented players in a team will not automatically win championships pointing to the Purefoods team which first joined the PBA in the early 1990s. Members of that team, included players of former PBA champion team Tanduay as well as members of Philippine Basketball League champion team Purefoods.

“That was a really strong team,” said Lastimosa. “Kung tutuusin dalawang champion team iyon na pinagsama. PBA champion team ang Tanduay at isinama kami na members ng champion team ng Purefoods. And yet it took three years for Purefoods to win its first PBA title.”

Lastimosa insists that rather than just talent the more important elements of a championship team are: (1) The players must like each other, so that they look out for each other on the floor, and (2) There must be good communication between the players and the coaching staff.

Players of Alaska’s Grand slam team genuinely liked each other according to Lastimosa. The players went out together, knew each other’s families and shared common friends. In short, they were a family or at least a community together. Because of this, the players looked out for each other on the hard court and protected each other’s backs.

Another important element is that the players of that Grand Slam team did not just blindly follow the instructions of coach Tim Cone. Because the players were the ones on the floor actually playing they had unique insights that would benefit the team.

As team captain, it fell on Lastimosa’s shoulders to convey these observations, insights and suggestions to the coaching staff.

Lastimosa pointed to Alaska’s present team which actually lost very good veteran players like John Arigo, Ali Peek and Don Allado. On paper, the present Alaska team should be weaker. Instead, the team is now in the finals and gunning for its first PBA title in seven years.

“That’s addition by subtraction,” said Lastimosa. “Some good players left. But their departure allowed younger players like Mike Cortez, Sonny Thoss and Reynel Hugnatan to mature. Veteran recruits like Willie Miller, John Ferriols and Nic Belasco also had more playing time and learned to play better together.”

Lastimosa admitted that the current Alaska team is something of a puzzle to him.

“This team has everything it needs to become a champion,” said Lastimosa. “When the players are focused it’s like they can’t be beaten. Look at Game 1 when the team routed the Phone Pals. What this team lacks is a killer instinct to exploit every weakness. They have to learn to go for the kill.”

After handily winning Game 1 the Aces lost Game 2 and 3 and the championship series became a war of attrition that went the full seven game distance.

The Alaska Aces were pushed to the brink of defeat after losing Game 5. But needing to win the last two games they snatched back-to-back victories from the dying fingers of the Talk N Text Phones Pals.

Perhaps that is the mark of a true champion team. The will to battle through any adversity to prevail in the end.