Defeat is nothing new for Arizona Reid ever since setting foot in the PBA, and every after setback, the prolific scorer always returns with something big.
Game 3 of the PBA Governors’ Cup semi-final between San Miguel and Rain or Shine was no exception, as Reid once again torched the hoops for a team-high 37 points including 7-for-10 from downtown.
Unlike in Game 2 where the Beermen struggled to put away the Elasto Painters towards the end where they collapsed, Reid took over this time and picked better shots down the wire to keep his opponents at bay and take a 114-108 victory.
Reid admitted he was “mentally broken” after losing Game 2, but as someone who has encountered different sorts of adversity in the past, it was just a matter of accepting reality and moving on quickly.
“I am a very emotional basketball player. I say a lot of stuff to my teammates and even my coach but in Game 2 we had to settle it down because I was mentally broken. As a professional you have to move on (no matter) how bad it hurts. We just have to work hard and work on our defense and hope we can win,” Reid recalled the aftermath of Game 2.
“It’s a series. It’s different. If it’s twice to beat, most likely you’ll lose if you lose an emotional game like (Game 2). We have veterans and everybody understands it is a series. Anything can happen so I never look ahead. I take it quarter by quarter.”
Reid scored 11 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter of the Game 3 win. Never afraid to shoot the leather from wherever on the court, Reid does not see the take-charge mentality going anywhere even when odds are stacked up against him.
With the Beermen needing his production, the reinforcement says he is ready to take even more shots no matter what.
“It does not matter for me. Hit or miss, I am still going to shoot it,” he said. “I don’t have confidence problems. Even if I was 1-for-18 going into Game 2 of the series, coach told me to keeping shooting and I said coach, you don’t have to tell me that. I know what my job is. I will shoot it hand up, hand down, two people, I don’t care. They know how I deliver down the stretch.”
