Instincts kicked in for Don Trollano on Friday night, enabling San Miguel to continue its turnaround in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup.
Finding himself with plenty of space, the seasoned winger pulled the trigger for the go-ahead four-pointer with 53.5 seconds left to play and made it, completely turning the game around as the Beermen eventually beat Magnolia.
“Nakita ko open ako eh,” he said after their thrilling 94-92 victory at the Ynares Center II in Montalban, their fourth in a row in the season-opening conference. “Nakita ko wala na ring oras kaya tinira ko na lang.
“Kumpiyansa lang ba.”
The 33-year-old firing from 27 feet away at such a critical juncture should no longer be a surprise. He did the same in their season opener against NLEX last October 8 in Antipolo to spark a comeback, though they narrowly lost in the end.
Now, that bravery has led to a win, and no one was prouder than his long-time mentor in Leo Austria. He has witnessed Trollano work on long-range shots even during their days in Adamson — way before the four-ball came in.
(C) PBA Images
“That four points, hindi na ako nagtataka. Dahil during practice namin, he keeps on taking the four-point shot,” he said.
“And even when we’re in Adamson, talagang malalayo ang range niya. He keeps on practicing that kind of shot.
“Sometimes nagagalit nga ako eh dahil first pass pa lang, titira na,” he added. “But this time, ‘yung kanyang tira, talagang necessary ‘yun eh. Kailangang-kailangan eh. Meron siyang sense of urgency. And that’s one thing with Don.”
His clutch shot capped a remarkable showing from Trollano, all in all. He finished with 29 big points behind an excellent 11-of-16 shooting from the floor alongside six rebounds — all in just 21 minutes of play.
And more importantly, the crew improved to 4-2 in the standings after suffering back-to-back losses to start their campaign.
The reigning Mr. Quality Minutes of the PBA Press Corps, though, is just glad to be in action again for San Miguel. He had missed the win against a youth-laden Converge the last time out due to a back injury.
“Sobrang sakit nung likod ko, kaya hindi ako nakapaglaro last game,” recalled Trollano, who also went 3-of-5 from three.
“Minanage lang ng PT day-to-day, medyo nabawasan naman ‘yung pain kaya nakapaglaro ako ngayon.”
