Glen Yang feels proud of how Bay Area has grown fond of the hostile pro-Ginebra crowd over the course of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals.
The heady playmaker admitted that playing before tens of thousands of fans loudly cheering for the Barangay threw the Dragons off at first. Still, the squad eventually got the hang of it as the best-of-seven affair progressed.
“You know, the first few games, I think it affected us. But at this point, we love it. We embrace that villain role,” he offered with a smile.
“We know everyone is against us, and at the end of the day, it’s fun. You’d rather have that than no one in the crowd. So it’s a good time.”
Proof of which was Game Six on Wednesday night. Despite the jeers from over 22,000 fans at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, Bay Area refused to see the Kings stage a title celebration as it pushed the series to the limit following an 87-84 win.
Yang was glad to see his Dragons stay locked in on nothing else but the game even with the tremendous pressure knowing how crucial Game Six was.
“We don’t feel the pressure. I mean, most of us don’t. Our coach just tells us, don’t look at the score, don’t look at the crowd, just play,” he said.
“Sometimes you notice it, like today when everyone had the flashlights in the crowd, I definitely noticed it. But most of the time, we’re just playing basketball.”
Yang himself was integral in the victory. Still not a hundred percent due to an ankle injury, the 22-year-old floor general fought through it and contributed 10 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 43 minutes.
“The medical staff on our team got me through it, so it’s getting better,” he shared. “It’s do or die. I had no choice. I wanted to go [play in the] last game, but the coach didn’t let me. So, yeah, I had to play.”
Now, they’re bound for Game Seven on Sunday at the Philippine Arena, with a huge crowd expected to show up once more. And Yang couldn’t ask for more.
“That’s a dream come true for all of us.
“We always say it in the locker room. None of us have played in front of that many people ever, so we’re all excited. One game to win it all. You can’t ask for more than that,” he said.
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
