Perhaps no other player in PBA history could rival Allan Caidic's tremendous shooting ability, but the legendary shooter didn't hesitate in saying he needed a good support system behind him to be able to do what he did.
"I needed help to set up," he said in Filipino.
In the latest episode of An Eternity of Basketball with ESPN5.com's Charlie Cuna, Sid Ventura and Noel Zarate, 'The Triggerman' talked about his five favorite teammates and the one player he calls the toughest he's ever faced.
His favorite teammates
Caidic initially wanted to go with an all-point guard list when asked who he liked playing the most with.
"I really wanted to choose guards because they kept giving me the ball," joked the 56-year-old.
From the backcourt, he first named Ricky Brown. The 1985 Most Valuable Player played with Caidic for one season with Great Taste, where the duo won the 1987 All-Filipino Conference title.
Hector Calma was another point guard that made the list. Counting the 1985 Third Conference crown won by the amateur team Northern Consolidated of which they were both members, Caidic won three titles alongside the Hall of Fame guard, with whom he was reunited at San Miguel in 1993.
Caidic also added a no-brainer in Ramon Fernandez, who was at the tail end of his career but was nonetheless still an undisputed star in his time with the Beermen.
"You can't count him out," he said of Fernandez.
Another former San Miguel star that made the list is Samboy Lim, who formed a lethal scoring combination with Caidic during their time together in the 90s.
Wrapping up his list is Arnie Tuadles, an ever-reliable frontcourt fixture during Caidic's time with the Great Taste/Presto franchise.
Toughest match-up
Before pairing up with him in San Miguel, Lim was first a thorn on Caidic's side.
"He was really difficult to stop. When I played with Great Taste and Presto for six years, it was Samboy's peak with San Miguel," he explained.
At the height of his powers, Lim was an integral part of the Beermen's success from the 80s to the 90s, including the franchise's first Grand Slam in 1989.
Aside from his work ethic, which Caidic says propelled 'The Skywalker' to stardom, it was also Lim's speed and well-rounded game in the half court and transition that made him such a hard draw.
"He really handled the ball well, especially in transition," he shared. "You really needed to double-team him to neutralize him.
"Basketball seemed really easy for him. He would find a way to score, create."
Caidic raved at Lim's ability to get his own baskets without needing someone else to set up the action for him.
"Our games were different. Many idolized me because of my shooting, but I relied on screens and from the guards' passes for me to be effective," admitted Caidic. "Samboy was different. When you give him the ball, he'd find a way to create and score. Even if he landed awkwardly, you know he could finish. At the same time, he could create (his own shot).
"But aside from his creation, if you set him up he could also shoot since he also developed his outside shooting. He's an inside-out player, so he was hard to stop. The only thing that stopped him were injuries."