A Complete PBA Schedule Recap and Key Takeaways From This Season
Looking back at this season's PBA schedule, I can't help but marvel at how certain moments truly defined teams' trajectories. One particular game that stands out in my memory involves the Elasto Painters' remarkable free throw performance that ultimately shaped their playoff run. As someone who's been analyzing basketball statistics for over a decade, I've learned that free throws often reveal more about a team's mental fortitude than their technical skills. The Elasto Painters' journey from shooting a dismal 58 percent from the foul line in Game 2 to achieving an impressive 89 percent conversion rate in their crucial matchup demonstrates this perfectly.
I remember watching that Game 2 overtime loss where they went 113-105 down, thinking how different the outcome might have been if they'd just made those free throws. The 58 percent shooting from the charity stripe that night was frankly embarrassing for a professional team. Fast forward to their redemption game, and what a transformation we witnessed. The Elasto Painters converted all technical free throws and ended up with a stellar 16-of-18 from the foul line. That's 89 percent for those keeping count. This dramatic improvement wasn't just about practice – it reflected a complete mental shift in their approach to high-pressure situations.
What fascinates me about this turnaround is how it highlights the psychological aspect of professional basketball. Having spoken with numerous coaches throughout my career, I've come to understand that free throw performance often serves as a barometer for a team's focus and composure. The Elalto Painters' dramatic improvement from 58 to 89 percent in such a short span tells me their coaching staff did some excellent work on mental preparation between games. They didn't just practice free throws – they practiced maintaining concentration when every point mattered.
The numbers themselves tell a compelling story. Improving from making roughly 11 of 19 attempts to converting 16 of 18 represents not just better accuracy but smarter basketball. Those additional five successful free throws could easily represent the difference between victory and defeat in close games. In my analysis, this specific improvement likely contributed significantly to their subsequent performances throughout the season. While I don't have the exact statistics handy, I recall them maintaining around 85 percent free throw accuracy in several crucial games following this turnaround.
From a strategic perspective, this season taught me that teams often overlook free throw practice in favor of more glamorous aspects of the game. Yet here we have clear evidence that mastering this fundamental skill can dramatically alter a team's fortunes. The Elasto Painters' experience should serve as a lesson to every team in the league – don't underestimate the power of consistent free throw performance. I've always believed that championships are won through attention to detail, and this case perfectly illustrates my point.
Reflecting on the broader PBA season, this particular narrative thread demonstrates how teams evolve throughout the schedule. The transformation we witnessed in the Elasto Painters' free throw performance mirrors the overall development we see in successful teams – they identify weaknesses and systematically address them. What impressed me most was how quickly they turned things around. Between Game 2 and their redemption game, they improved their free throw percentage by approximately 31 percentage points. That's not just gradual improvement – that's a revolutionary change in approach and execution.
As the season progressed, I noticed other teams taking note of this transformation. Several coaches I spoke with mentioned implementing more focused free throw drills specifically designed to simulate game pressure. The ripple effect of the Elasto Painters' success from the foul line extended beyond their own games, influencing how other teams approached this fundamental aspect of basketball. Personally, I found this particularly satisfying to observe, as it validated my long-held belief that excellence in basics often separates good teams from great ones.
The contrast between their 58 percent shooting in Game 2 and the 89 percent in their standout performance represents one of the most dramatic improvements I've seen in my years covering the PBA. While some might attribute it to simple variance, I'm convinced it reflects deliberate work and mental conditioning. The fact that they converted all technical free throws specifically indicates focused preparation for high-pressure situations. In my view, this attention to detail often makes the difference between teams that merely compete and those that ultimately prevail.
Watching this season unfold has reinforced my appreciation for how basketball fundamentals continue to determine outcomes at the highest level. Despite all the emphasis on three-point shooting and defensive schemes, the humble free throw remains a critical component of success. The Elasto Painters' journey from struggling at the line to excelling there provides a perfect microcosm of their overall season development. Their story serves as a powerful reminder that in basketball, as in life, mastering the basics often provides the foundation for extraordinary achievements.
As we look ahead to future seasons, I'll be paying particularly close attention to teams' free throw percentages early in the schedule. The Elasto Painters demonstrated that early struggles don't define a season – it's how teams respond and improve that ultimately matters. Their transformation from 58 percent to 89 percent shooters in crucial moments will remain one of my standout memories from this PBA season, a testament to what focused effort and mental toughness can achieve in professional basketball.
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Looking to the Future
By 2022, we will establish a pilot for circularity at our Goonoo feedlot that builds on our current initiatives in water, manure and local sourcing. We will extend these initiatives to reach our full circularity potential at Goonoo feedlot and then draw on this pilot to light a pathway to integrating circularity across our supply chain.
The quality of our product and ongoing health of our business is intrinsically linked to healthy and functioning ecosystems. We recognise our potential to play our part in reversing the decline in biodiversity, building soil health and protecting key ecosystems in our care. This theme extends on the core initiatives and practices already embedded in our business including our sustainable stocking strategy and our long-standing best practice Rangelands Management program, to a more a holistic approach to our landscape.
We are the custodians of a significant natural asset that extends across 6.4 million hectares in some of the most remote parts of Australia. Building a strong foundation of condition assessment will be fundamental to mapping out a successful pathway to improving the health of the landscape and to drive growth in the value of our Natural Capital.
Our Commitment
We will work with Accounting for Nature to develop a scientifically robust and certifiable framework to measure and report on the condition of natural capital, including biodiversity, across AACo’s assets by 2023. We will apply that framework to baseline priority assets by 2024.
Looking to the Future
By 2030 we will improve landscape and soil health by increasing the percentage of our estate achieving greater than 50% persistent groundcover with regional targets of:
– Savannah and Tropics – 90% of land achieving >50% cover
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