How critical is deep rotation?

Relying on a deep rotation has its benefits in a long series. In the NBA, Oklahoma City entered the Finals against Indiana with seven players averaging at least 20 minutes compared to the Pacers’ five. Down the stretch, the rotation kept the Thunder nucleus healthy so that in Game 7, OKC had more able bodies than Indiana whose star guard Tyrese Haliburton went out with a torn right Achilles tendon in the first quarter.

In the PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinals, Barangay Ginebra is risking a short rotation against San Miguel Beer but for the moment, coach Tim Cone has the advantage with a 2-1 series lead. In the elims, Ginebra had six players logging at least 15 minutes a game with five clocking at least 30 – Stephen Holt (35:11), Scottie Thompson (32:58), Jamie Malonzo (32:06), Japeth Aguilar (31:09) and Troy Rosario (30:39). San Miguel, in contrast, had nine players averaging at least 15 minutes with only June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez logging at least 30 each.

In the elims, coach Leo Austria used seven players to start with three on a regular basis while Cone started eight with four on a regular basis. In the semis, Fajardo came off the bench twice as Austria has shortened his minutes because of a calf strain. What a luxury for San Miguel with the eight-time MVP as a reliever even if he’s not 100 percent. Among Austria’s shock troopers are Jericho Cruz, Don Trollano, Chris Ross, Kris Rosales and Andreas Cahilig. Jeron Teng is another weapon even as he’s played only once in three semis games.

In Game 3 last Sunday, Ginebra rolled the dice with its nucleus and the starters delivered, outscoring San Miguel’s first five, 69-36. Six Ginebra players logged 30 or more minutes with RJ Abarrientos coming off the bench to collect 24 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in 33:02 minutes. Beyond the six, only Maverick Ahanmisi clocked double figure minutes with 10:23. Cone realized the importance of winning Game 3 from a 1-1 tie so gambled with a short rotation to get the job done.

Not a single San Miguel player saw action in at least 30 minutes and six logged at least 20, indicating a balanced distribution of duties. Fajardo and Trollano didn’t start but played over 27 minutes each. Looking at the big picture, it appears that if the series extends to six or seven, San Miguel will gain the advantage with fresher legs because of its deep rotation. For Ginebra to seal it, Cone will try to close out before the duel turns out to be a war of attrition. That puts a lot of pressure on Ginebra to win Game 4 tonight. A two-day rest from Sunday’s game will at least give Ginebra’s core more time to recover as the previous contests were played with only a one-day interval.

San Miguel entered the playoffs as the No. 1 team in offense, averaging 108 points while Ginebra was No. 2 in defense, giving up 88.8 points a game. So far, in the semis, it’s been a battle of offense versus defense. In San Miguel’s Game 2 win, the Beermen scored 100 points. In Ginebra’s Games 1 and 3 wins, San Miguel was held to an average of 80.5 points. Cone’s gambit is to play it slow, deliberate and methodical so he’s able to maximize his short rotation. Austria likes to run and gun but that means controlling the boards to dictate tempo. In Game 3, Ginebra had more rebounds, 48-42 and more assists, 26-16 as it was more efficient in executing on both ends. Game 4 will be a test for Ginebra’s rotation.