Thursday, 9 December 2010, the AirAsia Philippine Patriots came from behind in the waning seconds of the game to beat the Westports KL Dragons at Ynares Sports Arena 73 - 71. However, any discouraging effects the Dragons may have suffered from the loss were laid to rest by thoroughly beating the #1 team in the ABL, the Chang Thailand Slammers, 77 - 57 this Sunday, 12 December 2010, at MABA Stadium, Kuala Lumpur.

Both the Dragons and the Slammers came out the gates slow. The conservative pace continued throughout the first two periods. In the second half the Dragons finally decided to shift the fast-break from 2ND to 5Th gear, and then red-lined there way to a decisive victory.

The Dragons' over-all performance was very good for several note worthy reasons. The team showed it can bounce back from a disappointing loss. Secondly, bench players made a significant contribution towards the Dragons' win tonight, which shows these players are starting to develop confidence and skill. Delivering quality minutes off the bench takes some of the pressure off the starting 5 and will go a long way in closing out the season with a winning record to secure a play-off spot. Third, the defense was awesome. The Dragons nearly contested every Slammer who tried to score inside the paint. Nakiea Miller didn't just block Slammers' shots tonight, he engulfed them, and then stamped the ball with 'return to sender'.

What wasn't positive are some problems the Dragons have been routinely suffering from as a team: missed free-throws, streaks of poor shot selection, and bad execution of set-plays. Errors like this cost points, or lead to mismanagement of the clock. The Dragons' coaching staff needs to address these issues immediately; it has been going on for far too long.

The stats for the Dragons' top performers haven't been released yet. But since I witnessed the game, I can tell you that Nakiea Miller, Guganeswaran Batumalai and Rudy Lingganay will be on that list. But regardless of who scored the most points, it was the entire Dragons' defense that scorched the Slammers to get the 'W'.