When Chris Ross suffered an ugly cut late in the second quarter of the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup Finals’ Game Two on Wednesday night – an injury that bled badly – fear and anxiety reared their ugly heads inside the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
But Ross did not let that stop him.
The 6-foot-1 guard remained on the court, and he led the Beermen’s charge in the second half. Ross sank three triples in the third canto to help San Miguel score 39 big points in the frame alone for a 92-72 lead heading into the fourth.
Ross finished with 23 points built on seven triples, and he was the brightest star of the night as the Beermen decimated the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel for the second straight game, 132-94, to earn a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
“Parang hayop na ‘pag nasugatan, tumatapang,” said San Miguel head coach Leo Austria.
Asked of his excellent shooting night where he shot 8-of-15 from the field, Ross said that he knew that the Gin Kings would challenge him to take shots following the 1-of-7 shooting he had in the series’ first two games.
Ross only scored a total of four point in Games One and Two.
“I played against Tim Cone long enough to know that he was gonna challenge me today. ‘Cause last game, I only took one shot. I prepared for that yesterday – I took lots of shots. I knew that they’re gonna challenge me to take shots today.
“I just stepped out there and shot with confidence,” shared the nine-year pro. “I knew we were shooting the ball well early and my teammates kept passing me the ball, and I was open, I just kept shooting.”
After Ross’ wound was treated, he had to wear a black headband all throughout the game to protect the cut, for the very first time in his career – he has never worn a headband, even with his new afro hairdo.
But Ross said it won’t be a staple.
“I don’t know if y’all remember LeBron [James] couple of years ago, he was wearing the headband and he took it off and he had a great game so this is like the reverse and I love it. It’s like they’re calling me ‘Headband Ross’ today,” he chuckled.
“I don’t wanna make a habit of wearing headbands. It’s not comfortable for me,” added the six-time champion.
“Hopefully, we could stitch it up and stop the bleeding and I’ll be ready to play on Friday.”
