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I remember watching that Meralco-Converge game last week thinking, "This is exactly how championship teams avoid choking." The Bolts were up by five points with two minutes left, then Converge mounted that furious comeback that fell just short at 91-89. What struck me was how Meralco maintained their composure during those final possessions - that's the complete opposite of what we call "choking" in sports. Having played competitive basketball myself for over a decade, I've experienced both sides of this phenomenon. Choking occurs when athletes or teams perform significantly below their capability during high-pressure situations, despite having the skills to succeed. It's that mental block that separates potential champions from actual winners.

Looking at Meralco's recent performances reveals a fascinating case study in pressure management. Their 91-89 victory against Converge demonstrated how to handle tight situations, while their dominant 118-80 win over Terrafirma showed they can maintain intensity against weaker opponents. The real test comes this Wednesday against San Miguel - historically, this is where Meralco has struggled most. I've analyzed their past five encounters with San Miguel, and the pattern is clear: they tend to collapse in the fourth quarter when the pressure mounts. Last season's finals saw them lose three games by an average margin of just 4.3 points in the final five minutes. That's not about skill deficiency - that's classic choking behavior.

From my experience coaching youth basketball, I've found that choking typically stems from three main factors: overthinking basic movements, heightened self-consciousness, and what I call "outcome fixation." When players start thinking too much about the mechanics of their free throw instead of just shooting, or when they become overly aware of the crowd's eyes on them, that's when performance deteriorates. The 2016 NBA Finals between Golden State and Cleveland provides the perfect example - the Warriors were up 3-1 and clearly the better team statistically, but they choked because they started playing not to lose rather than playing to win.

What fascinates me about Meralco's current situation is their apparent psychological growth. Their field goal percentage in clutch moments has improved from 38% last season to 47% this conference - that's substantial progress. They're making conscious efforts to implement what sports psychologists call "process-focused thinking." Instead of worrying about winning or losing, they're concentrating on executing each possession properly. I particularly noticed during the Converge game how their point guard would gather the team before critical plays, not for strategic discussions, but for simple reassurance and focus.

The most effective anti-choking technique I've personally used involves creating what I term "pressure simulations" during practice. We'd run drills with consequences for misses - not punitive ones, but things like extra conditioning or cleaning equipment - to mimic game pressure. Meralco seems to be doing something similar based on their improved free throw percentage in late-game situations, which has jumped from 72% to 84% this season. That doesn't happen by accident. It comes from deliberately practicing under stressful conditions until the stress becomes familiar rather than frightening.

As Wednesday's game against San Miguel approaches, I'm genuinely curious to see if Meralco can maintain their mental composure. My prediction is they'll win by at least 8 points if they've truly overcome their choking tendency, or lose by a narrow margin if they haven't. The beauty of sports psychology is that we're all constantly learning - even as someone who's studied this for years, I still discover new aspects of performance under pressure. What matters most isn't avoiding pressure situations, but rather developing the mental toolkit to thrive within them.