With less than four minutes to go in the final frame, and with the Star Hotshots and San Miguel Beermen tied at 74, Chris Ross utilized Charles Rhodes’ ball screen, and kicked the ball to his right to Arwind Santos, who was standing beyond the arc.
Santos then converted Ross’ pass into an assist. He nailed a triple from nearly the top of the key to lift SMB, 77-74, with 3:45 left to play — a lead they hung on to as they sneaked out with a 77-76 win to even their semifinal series at 1-1.
For those in the stands, Santos’ trey — his only point in the game, as he was 0-for-5 prior to the shot — was reminiscent of his striking triples not so long ago, which led to his team bagging a championship trophy.
And the five-time champion also had the same flashbacks his fans had that Monday night.
“Siyempre, ‘di ko pa rin makalimutan. Parang kailan lang. Yung inisip ko nun yung tres na nagpa-champion sa amin against Alaska,” said the 35-year-old, reflecting on the shot that had given San Miguel their 20th title back in the 2014-15 Philippine Cup.
“Kamay ng Diyos yun.”
But then again, his gutsy launch from afar stems from his undaunted approach come those kinds of situations.
“‘Di nawala yung focus ko kahit alam kong wala akong contribution sa points nung time na yun,” said the 10-year league veteran. “Kumbaga mentality ko yun, kahit ilang sablay na ako, pag dumating sa point na open ako, ititira ko yun.
“Na-open ako, tapos shot clock winding down pa. God is good — kamay ng Diyos yun. Kami ang nanalo.”
But Santos was not just a hero on the offensive end. He also stepped up on the other side of the floor — he was the one who challenged Paul Lee’s potential game-winning floater, which did not meet the bottom of the net.
“Nung huli pa naka stop kami tapos si Paul Lee nailang ko sa gitna. Kung hindi baka na-shoot pa yun, sayang yung three points ko,” shared the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2013.
As the race-to-three affair has now become a level field, Santos could not be more relieved.
“Sobrang laking bagay na na-tie mo yung series, lalo na best-of-five. Kapag naunahan ka ng dalawa, parang ang lapit na nila sa finish line nun pag naka 2-0 na,” said Santos. “Parang NBA, 3-0, ikaw nga lang na nanunuod parang Warriors na yan, pero at least ngayon, na-tie namin.
“Ngayon ‘di masabi ng iba sino ang lalamang.”
