After the San Miguel Beermen were able to weather the late surge of the Magnolia Hotshots, a move from Chris Ross drew the ire of the Hotshots staff.
With 5:28 left, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year was able to intercept a cross-court pass by Paul Lee. As he went down the floor, the 6-foot-1 combo guard was seen trying to give the ball to PJ Simon, who was standing at the time.
Video courtesy of ESPN5
Hotshots assistant coach Johnny Abarrientos did not mince his words afterwards as he stood from his seat, speaking his mind about it.
“It’s fun. I don’t do anything to disrespect anyone. I’m respectful to everyone. If they feel like they wanna… they have to dirty up the game, to try to get into my head or what not, I’m all for it,” the nine-year pro reflected about the play.
“But I’m gonna play basketball how I know how to play basketball. And respect the people that I have to respect.”
Ross’s action did not go without repercussions.
With 1:02 left and the game out of reach, Rodney Brondial committed a hard shove on Ross that sent the latter crashing to the floor.
“I’m good. I’m a football player. They got me harder than that,” shared Ross, who finished the game with 10 assists to go along with five points, four rebounds, and two steals.
“I don’t know. I didn’t see. I just got hit. I wasn’t looking. I gotta protect myself better.”
And Ross was able to get the last laugh, as San Miguel were able to knot the series with a 92-77 win.
And there were no hard feelings afterwards, as the five-time PBA champion knows that whatever happens, it’s just a game.
“Like I said… I said it to someone during the game, someone was calling me a name from the stands… I just said it’s a game. It’s not that serious. Basketball is just a game in the big scheme of life. If the opposing team wants to hate me, they can hate me all they want,” Ross expressed.
“As long as the guys in my locker room and their families like me as a teammate and as a person, I’m fine with that.”
