A tough loss means that the Philippines will have to settle for second against Australia/New Zealand once again.
The SM Mall of Asia Music Hall was filled with silence last Sunday as Team NO WAY OUT shut down the LGE Eagles, making them the 2024 NBA 2K APAC Invitational champions. That silence was quickly filled with cheers from the Australia/New Zealand side as they denied the Philippines the APAC championship for the second year in a row.
Team NO WAY OUT have been the proverbial Pinoy killers in the APAC Invitational. They beat the Philippines last year in the grand finals, earning them eligibility in the 2024 NBA 2K League Draft. This year they’ve come back in full force to knock out not just one Filipino team but two.
They took down the Eagles’ sister team, the LGE Agilas, in a nail-biter of a best-of-three series in the semifinals. It was a tie game at the fourth quarter of game three until NO WAY OUT landed a dagger three-pointer, sinking the homecourt’s hopes for an all-Pinoy grand finals. From there, the Australia/New Zealand squad carried that momentum all the way to their showdown against the Eagles.
The Eagles were coming in confident that they could avenge their fellow players but NO WAY OUT had other plans. While the Eagles had a few sparks here and there, NO WAY OUT’s pressure was just suffocating. The Eagles struggled to establish a lead and even trailed by as many as 17 points against the Australia/New Zealanders. They rallied at the final minutes of game two but then it was too little, too late. NO WAY OUT swept the Eagles 2-0, crowning them as back-to-back 2024 NBA 2K APAC Invitational champions.
Learning From the Pressure
“Honestly, I feel like we underestimated them,” said LGE Eagles team captain Julian “Social” Mallillin in an interview with the media. “Based on the game we saw yesterday, akala namin kayang-kaya kasi there wasn’t anything complicated, it was all basic stuff. This series we played tonight was very different because ang daming pinakita nila na hindi namin nakita yesterday.”
Despite the disappointing results, Social believes that the experience in playing at the 2024 NBA 2K APAC Invitational was still a big help. It allows the team to get used to the atmosphere of a live event and pinpoint any friction or problems. He also credited NO WAY OUT’s team captain Solomona “Mona” Faitaua-Nanai for exploiting weaknesses in both their offense and defense, leading to NO WAY OUT’s victory.
When asked if Mona’s penchant for trashtalking got to them, Social replied “no, I have seen worse in Sweden. I’ve seen people shouting at each other, people would come up to you and say things to your face. Mona is just the brand of the league. I feel like every team should have someone that does what he does because it plays a role din.”
“I’ve been doing it my whole life, whether it’s in esports or real life,” said Mona. “I think it can cut their momentum and whenever they make a mistake I love pressuring them. I love seeing the way people change the way they play. So if we can take momentum off of that, then I’ll keep doing it.”
But while he may be brash on the court, Mona doesn’t take what he and his team achieved in the 2024 NBA 2K APAC Invitational for granted. “It’s an honor to do what I’m doing right now. Not everyone gets to go out here and play in front of a big crowd. So it feels good to be a back-to-back champion.”
Banner photo from NBA Philippines.