MANILA, Philippines – When pressure comes, even the best players won’t be spared. Especially if it’s a deciding Game Seven of the championship series.

And so when Willie Miller, one of the best clutch players in the league, succumbed to pressure and fell short of leading Alaska to yet another championship in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) his coach, Tim Cone, and former mentor, Yeng Guiao, came to his defense.

Two missed free throws and a forced shot against a phalanx of defenders enabled the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters to hang on to a 93-89 win over the Aces in Wednesday’s knockout match in the Philippine Cup at the Arenata Coliseum.

And so Miller’s quest for a first all-Filipino crown will have to wait.

He has been the Aces’ main man, being named as the best player of the conference (BPC) and was the Game Five hero of the series where his game-winning three-pointer gave the Aces a 3-2 edge. Only this time, in the deciding game, Miller couldn’t come up witht he big shots.

A day after Alaska lost the series, Miller’s bashers came from all over the basketball circles. His missed shots down the stretch became the topic of discussions in blogs and sports forums.

But for people who knew him so well, particularly Cone and Guiao of the RP men’s basketball team Miller was just a victim of a difficult situation. Both multi-titled coaches believe his missed free throws won’t take anything away from the greatness of the two-time most valuable player (MVP) awardee.

“Let’s not forget that he is a two-time MVP and the best player of the conference and he’s one of the main reasons why were here in the finals," said Cone, the winningest mentor among active coaches with 12 PBA titles.

“If people keep talking about Miller’s missed free throws, why not take the blame on Joe De Vance and the rest of the team either. I mean, it’s really unfair for Willie, who has been our best player and one of the best players this franchise ever had.

Guiao, who picked Miller as the top rookie in the PBA in 2001, said the pressure of a Game Seven is too much that it could take its toll on anybody. “Even a Michael Jordan would feel the pressure."

“Let’s be honest here, the greatness of any player won’t be measured with just one game and it’s just unfortunate that (Miller) missed those shots. But what’s admirable was (Miller’s) willingness to take those shots, shots that he made almost automatically for several years now and didn’t just fall for him in Game Seven against Talk ‘N text," said Guiao.

Cone and Guiao shared the same views that the missed shots won’t tarnish the overall impact Miller brings every game.

“He’s been doing that for years," said Cone.

“Alaska won’t be in a Game Seven if not for Miller’s Game Five heroics," added Guiao, who expects Miller to become one of his most important players in the RP quintet’s campaign in the 2009 FIBA Asia Men’s Basketball Championship.


http://www.gmanews.tv/story/148556/Coachs-come-to-Millers-defense