24 January 2016

Bolts Need to Address Late Game Collapses

Bolts Collapse
If the Meralco Bolts want to make some major changes and turn their luck around in the coming Commissioner's Cup, then they don't have to do something drastic. All they need is to look back at their previous games and mine it for clues.

Most of the Bolt's defeats had been by less than five points, which has become a frequent thorn in the team's side this season. They're 1-5 this year in contests decided by five points or less and, ended their All-Filipino campaign in a sour 1-9 record.

They are just not playing smart and making the right decisions in crucial situations. This is something that the whole team needs to work on and ensure that that don't get back to some of their bad habits.

The Bolts biggest late-game issue has been getting stops. Normally one of the league's top defensive teams, Meralco is surrendering an outrageous 95 points per 70 possessions in the final five minutes of games that are within five points and allowing opponents to shoot nearly 47 percent from the floor.

Those numbers are problematic for any team, but they're eye-opening for this one. In the previous season, Meralco holds opponents to the fourth-lowest effective field goal percentage in the league and only surrenders 98.5 points per 100 possessions, the third-stingiest number in the league.

Meralco had no trouble scoring down the stretch. The problems came on the other end of the floor.

If the Bolts don't fix this problem, they may even fall below that pack and out of contention in the two remaining conferences.

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