After completing a fourth quarter comeback which saw the San Miguel Beermen eliminate the gallant Star Hotshots and advance to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals, Beermen guard Chris Ross said such situation reminded him of last conference’s championship duel against Alaska.
“It was big for us. We didn’t want to go home. We didn’t want to feel embarrassed again. It kind of reminded me of the finals when our backs were against the wall in the last four games and me and my teammates, we showed why we are champions and we showed a lot of championship pedigree,” Ross said Wednesday.
Ross finished with 13 points, four rebounds, five assists, and four steals as the Beermen overcame a sizable deficit in the fourth quarter to prevent what could have been only the fourth number eight against the top seed upset.
“We made enough plays in the end to win the game,” Ross added.
The Beermen outscored the Hotshots 25-12 in the fourth quarter. Overall, they had five more steals, five more rebounds, and 12 more second chance points than their opponents.
Ross shared such comeback was reminiscent of San Miguel’s overtime win against Alaska in Game Four of the Philippine Cup finals, and the experience they’ve had played a big part in staying composed.
“We just knew. It was familiar territory for us. We were down 10 against Alaska in Game 4 (of the Philippine Cup finals) so it’s like the same situation. We know we don’t want to go home early. We fought, we stayed together, we got defensive stops in the end. We held them to 12 points in the fourth and that was the ball game right there,” he said.
San Miguel head coach Leo Austria credited his squad for showing up with more intensity in Game 2, compared to the series opener where he thought the Beermen did not give enough effort.
“Noong last game namin, talagang walang effort sila. They thought they could beat Star easily. But na-surprise kami nung game nila. Ang ganda ng preparation nila para sa amin. Nakita nila weaknesses namin, and mayroon din silang big man,” Austria said.
“Ang kakaiba sa game na yun, andoon yung effort, especially noong nakaramdam kami, we have a chance. Maybe because of the experience na rin.”
He added: “The players refused to lose. Maybe because of the experience we had in the last conferences and especially the last all-Filipino. They know what’s the glory of winning. They know what’s the importance of this game for us.”
