It’s not as easy as UCLA is making it look.
At least that’s what the Bruins think.
After their third consecutive lopsided victory, this time a
71-59 win in the semifinals of the Pac-10 Tournament over Arizona,
many of the Bruins were quick to deflect the notion the road to
tonight’s tournament final against California has been a
cakewalk.
“I don’t think it’s been easy at all,”
sophomore guard Jordan Farmar said. “It may not look like it,
but a 12-point win is not that easy.”
“It’s a lot of work,” sophomore guard Arron
Afflalo said.
The evidence Friday at Staples Center ““ where Arizona
coach Lute Olson spent most of the evening fuming and the partisan
Bruin crowd spent most of it reveling ““ seemed to indicate
the contrary.
Sure the Wildcats were without their leading scorer Hassan
Adams, who was suspended from the Pac-10 Tournament after being
charged with a DUI.
And UCLA may have fortunately been well-rested compared to
Arizona, following the Bruins’ 32-point blowout of Oregon
State the day before.
But that only goes so far in explaining No. 13 UCLA’s 21-5
run in the first half and 27-10 run in the second half to boost its
lead to as many as 22 points.
And it doesn’t completely capture that the Bruins are
reserving their best basketball of the season for the best possible
time.
The victory advanced UCLA (26-6) into the Pac-10
Tournament’s final for the first time since 1990, extended
its winning streak to six games, and increased what is already
soaring confidence.
It also answered the question of when a 12-point margin of
victory is deceiving ““ on Friday, apparently.
“I don’t think the score is indicative of the fact
that we were in control there for the last 16 or 17 minutes of the
game. That was fun,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “Our
guys are playing really well. That’s what you want to be
doing, playing your best basketball at the end of the
season.”
The Wildcats didn’t argue that.
Friday’s postgame festivities resembled those following
the Bruins’ previous two contests.
An announcement was made that UCLA held its third straight
opponent to its season-low scoring output, keeping Arizona (19-12)
from eclipsing the 60-point mark for the first time this
season.
That was customarily followed by the opposing coach forced to
make an admission he’d rather not.
“There is no question the better team won,” said
Olson. “They’re just a lot more physical than we are.
UCLA is just better.”
In what is becoming a trend, the Bruins did it with an expected
team effort on defense combined with a fairly new multi-pronged
attack on offense.
Normally Farmar committing two offensive fouls in the first six
minutes would be of some concern.
Not on Friday. Freshman guard Darren Collison filled in for the
sophomore, using everything from jump shots to tear-droppers en
route to scoring a career-high 15 points and leading the Bruins in
scoring for the first time this season.
He was joined in double-figures by Afflalo and freshman forward
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who each poured in 12 points on
Friday.
But according to Afflalo, the balanced offense has nothing to do
with why UCLA is peaking at the end of the season. It’s what
the Bruins do on the other end of the court that makes games look
easy.
“We understand as a team what’s making us
win,” Afflalo said. “It’s not shooting for high
percentages. It’s not our dominating inside or outside
presence. We know it’s the defense that’s allowing us
to win, and we’re focused on it. It definitely takes a toll
on teams. That’s when you have to sniff out that blood and go
for it, and expand your lead as far as you can.”
On Friday, anyone in a Wildcat uniform not named Marcus Williams
(career-high 25 points) or Ivan Radenovic (17 points) wasn’t
allowed much breathing room on offense, as the duo combined for 71
percent of its team’s scoring.
Farmar sensed Arizona’s dampening spirits with each missed
shot and each committed turnover.
“At times, you can really feel it, and it’s a great
feeling,” Farmar said. “We’re firing on all
cylinders, and everyone’s on the same page. It’s a
great feeling.”
“We know the opponents play better than they know it
themselves,” said redshirt senior Cedric Bozeman, who played
on Friday and scored nine points despite spraining his left ankle
nearly 24 hours before.
It’s a level of preparation emblematic of Howland, which
appears to have filtered down to his players.
When informed that No. 16 Pitt, Howland’s last team,
defeated No. 2 Villanova to reach the Big East Tournament final,
Afflalo wasn’t surprised at all.
“You see, and why?” Afflalo said. “Because
Pitt’s a good defensive team. It’s no mystery.
That’s what wins championships.”
And that’s not easy.