After being content to help lock down Joshua Smith last Friday, Charles Rhodes made sure to put on a show Sunday night as he was celebrating his 31st birthday on the hard court of the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
“I need to put on a better show, you know, but it was a good show today,” Rhodes shared after San Miguel’s 109-97 Game Three win.
And put on a show he did, scoring 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting to go along with 20 rebounds. Moreover, he provided the game’s highlight by slamming on Roger Pogoy with 40 seconds left in the second frame.
Making this night more special for Rhodes was that his wife and mother flew in from Galveston, Texas to watch him live. This game was also the first time his mom watched him live.
“It’s great man. Words can’t really describe it,” the nine-year pro shared.
Even if he had to work double time on the offensive end, Rhodes did not let it get in the way of helping defend TNT import Joshua Smith.
“I was still on defense, that’s my focus for this series,” the 6-foot-8 big man emphasized. “But I got a couple of shots to go, a couple of mismatches, it just fell that way.
“Just wanted to come out and work hard. Just try to help my team and I did that. My team took care of the rest, I just added a little bit.”
Even with a 2-1 lead, Rhodes continues to remain wary of TNT, knowing that their opponents are in the Finals for a reason.
“We still got to take it one game at a time. It’s a seven-game series,” he said.
“That’s a great team over there so we got to take every game, one at a time, one at a time.”
