ANTIPOLO – Gabe Norwood showed that he still got the hops even at 40 after pulling off a vintage play in Rain or Shine’s eventual win over Meralco Sunday.
An all-knowing sage to the youth-laden Elasto Painters for a while now, the veteran winger wowed not only his teammates but the entire Ynares Center here when he rose for a one-handed slam off a spin during the third quarter.
“It’s been a long time,” he reflected, smiling.
“I didn’t know where I was because I spun around, and I was like, ‘I guess I have to dunk it now.'”
It was a highlight not just of the Elasto Painters’ 128-116 victory for their second win in a row in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup, but of the contributions made by Norwood for a team that competed with a depleted frontline.
Coach Yeng Guiao and his deputies felt compelled to dig deep into the rotation when rookie bruiser Caelan Tiongson missed the game due to back spasms, joining Beau Belga and Keith Datu in the injury/reserve list.
That’s why they fielded the seldom-used two-way specialist, and the latter definitely didn’t let them down by making the most of his time on the floor.
Norwood was utilized for a total of 37 minutes and 46 seconds, and went on to finish with 12 points, five rebounds, an assist, and a steal on his way to earning Player of the Game honors — his first in nearly four years.
“Man. Thirty-eight. That’s closer to my age,” he said with a laugh. “But it’s just a blessing to still be able to get out there on the court and play the game that I love, and to have my family and my kids in the crowd to see me play well.”
Guiao, of course, was all praises, especially with the readiness of the Rain or Shine lifer, who’s now in his 16th season in the league.
“We had to use Gabe for 38 minutes today because of necessity. We usually do not do that to Gabe, he’s going to age faster if we do that,” he said jokingly. “But sometimes, it’s necessary, sometimes the situation calls for it.
“And, he’s ready. I guess it’s just whatever role or whatever the situation calls for, that’s why we call him our Swiss army knife, he’s able to give you whatever you need in a certain situation,” the champion bench tactician added.
But for Norwood, it’s simply about repaying the trust Rain or Shine has been giving him, which led to his highest scoring output over the last two seasons according to a quick check by PBA stats chief Fidel Mangonon III..
“Just trying to really take care of my body, take care of myself, get as much rest as I can. And I just try to contribute,” he said. “You know, Coach trusted me out there today, playing longer minutes than usual, and I have to reward him.
“I have to reward my teammates, the management, for the trust that they’ve put into me. So I just tried to play to the best of my abilities and we got the win tonight.”
#WATCH: Coach Yeng Guiao and Gabe Norwood share their thoughts after Rain or Shine’s dominant win over Meralco 🏀
📹 Justine Bacnis/Tiebreaker Times#PBA2025 pic.twitter.com/BYGNmH67CT
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) April 27, 2025
