Those who are reluctant to have foreign coaches set up shop in the Philippines must be terrified by the prospect of Nenad Vucinic becoming the first-ever active consultant to win a PBA title.

It ought not to.

Like Tab Baldwin before him, Vucinic is a gift that should be accepted rather than thrown away.

In addition to coaching in the current PBA Philippine Cup Finals, Vucinic does more. He is putting on a clinic, forcing an All-Star-laden San Miguel team to submit while inspiring a less skilled Meralco team to a 2-1 series lead.

Making the 6-foot-10, 268-pound June Mar Fajardo disappear during pivotal moments and making the seven-time MVP fade late is Vucinic’s best magic trick to date.

The all-Filipino tournament is usually Fajardo’s domain, and after three games, he has already put up 52 points and 38 rebounds.

However, not even close to dominating.

Fajardo’s effect has been mitigated by the Bolts’ defensive strategies of swarming him with various bodies and coverages, which limited him to only five field goal attempts in Game 3.

Evidently, Meralco’s relentless physical pressure has worn down the Cebuano big man, as evidenced by his 22 of 34 free-throw attempts thus far.

The Bolts are a remarkable sight as they attack, as their bodies cut and the ball moves.

Cliff Hodge and Raymond Almazan have developed into potent offensive threats under Vucinic. In Game 2, Hodge scored 25 points, and in Game 3, Almazan let in 17 points.

A Bolts fivesome that had previously relied mostly on the prolific scoring of Chris Newsome, Chris Banchero, Bong Quinto, and Allein Maliksi has gained a great deal of firepower from having the big men perform functions beyond defense and rebounding.

San Miguel’s offense has stagnated as the series has gone on, mostly depending on Marcio Lassiter’s 3-point shooting and CJ Perez’s dribble penetration. Meanwhile, Meralco’s attack has become more inventive and dynamic.

Vucinic has recognized specific responsibilities and made contributions, no matter how little, out of Diego Dario, Norbert Torres, Kyle Pascual, Alvin Pasaol, Anthony Caram, and Raymar Jose after realizing that he needed every living, breathing asset to defeat a dangerous rival.

While everything is going on, Vic Manuel is calculating on an SMB bench that is sorely lacking Terrence Romeo’s services—a two-way guard who might have harassed Banchero and obstructed Meralco’s flow.

Simply put, Nenad has shown herself to be far superior in this championship series.