For the third time in a span of seven days, the Meralco Bolts have won in thrilling come-from-behind fashion. The team will gladly take wins of that manner, but for Jared Dillinger, orchestrating comebacks is becoming tiresome.
“We need to stop doing that. I’m getting no sleep.
“It’s just so hard to go behind and just win — [it’s] mentally and physically draining,” said Dillinger after their 72-66 win over the Star Hotshots in Game One of their semis series.
“Coach says it all the time: a win is a win and we’ll take it. But I’m tired coming back from behind. Can we just get a normal one?”
The Orangemen’s fightback was actually unexpected, considering that they had been shooting horribly all through out the game. The match was even deemed done right after the Hotshots led by nine, 66-57, with 3:43 remaining.
However, the breaks favored the Bolts heavily. They suddenly hit the biggest of shots, especially from outside, and as a result, put up an overwhelming 17-0 scoring spree to take down down Star.
But it wasn’t just solely because of their late-game offensive surge. For the 33-year-old, their defense is what really made wonders. In the game’s final 3:43, they rendered Star scoreless, and forced them to commit six straight turnovers.
“We’re the number one in defense in the league,” proudly shared the nine-year pro, who finished Game 1 with 15 points and five assists. “We’re a good defensive team for a reason, so as long as we listen to coach, we talk out there and communicate, we’ll be OK.
“Coach had a good game plan defensively and as long as we talk out there, we’re gonna be OK.”
The Bolts now have an early advantage in the best-of-five series. But the nine-year veteran knows that the battle is still early, and they expect furious retaliation from their opponents come Game Two on Tuesday.
“This is just one game in the semis. We got long ways to go,” reminded the Filipino-American. “They got a good coach out there and he’s definitely going to prepare and have a good gameplan.
“We’ll just rest.”
