PBA Analysis: Magnolia is undefeated because...

 

To be honest, if you are only watching the games and you are not checking the numbers, the easy answer is their defense.

They have a physical, consistent, energetic and synchronize defense. They have a lot of players who seldom make mistakes in what to do in defending pick-and-roll. And the way the game is played nowadays, defending pick-and-roll is crucial.

It helps a lot that they added Calvin Abueva who is producing 16.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 47% FG per game.

The numbers though will tell a much interesting story. Usually, teams perform well because of efficient shooting, very good three-point shooting, assist number and etc.

For Magnolia, one key stat is their 25 free-throw attempts per game. It is the third-best in the league and what is very interesting is that they are knocking down 79% of it per game.

Magnolia is known to be a bad three-point shooting team but with an excellent foul-getting and free-throw efficiency, they become much harder to defend.

Other than their free-throw shooting, they are also averaging 13.5 turnovers per game, 2nd best in the league.

They may not have the most aesthetic offense in the PBA but with their low turnover rate, they have more offense to run and avoids providing extra fastbreaks to their opponent.