Just like before, Allan Caidic shone brightly for San Miguel Beer, Sunday.
The 1990 PBA Most Valuable Player exploded for 26 points, including 16 in the final quarter, to tow the Beermen to a 96-83 victory over Alaska Milk in their Return of the Rivals clash at the historic SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Caidic, who still owns the record of most points scored in the league with 79, was the catalyst of the Beermen’s rousing 13-1 scoring blitz en route to a commanding 91-79 lead with two minutes left to play by contributing eight points in it.
But what makes it impressive is the fact that he was shooting blanks before his fourth-quarter outburst — Caidic was just shooting 3-for-11 from the field, including 2-of-8 from beyond the arc prior to the game’s last 12 minutes.
“Nahirapan talaga ako kumuha ng second wind kasi nga ‘di na kami sanay sa man-to-man eh, twelve minutes pa yun kada quarter,” explained the 55-year-old as to why he struggled. “At least naka-recover nung second half.
“Good thing yung mga kasama ko sinuportahan ako hanggang sa yun nakuha ko rin.”
But aside from gasping for air, Caidic admitted that the pressure to deliver –especially for the fans — played a factor.
“Yun mahirap eh, yung expectation sayo ang taas, pag di mo na-meet madi-disappoint yung mga tao. Kaya on our part, pressured din kami. Imagine, I’m fifty-five years old already but yung expectations ng tao, ganun pa rin dapat eh.”
But then, the thousands of fans inside the Big Dome — especially the Beermen faithful — will be going home with huge smiles on their faces, as they witnessed another classic performance from the Triggerman himself.
And the players, including Caidic, are glad as well. At the end of the day, what they’re playing for is for good cause.
“Masaya kami lahat. More than the result, more than the game, it’s the solidarity of the players, nagkaisa kami for a good cause. The support na we got from the crowd, from the PBA, lahat ng sponsor, yung pride namin [lumabas].”
