“Did you Allen Iverson out there?”
Those were the first words out of Jimmy Alapag’s mouth after San Miguel Alab Pilipinas was able to weather Mikh McKinney’s 50-point explosion, Friday afternoon.
McKinney, a Filipino-American point guard who stands at 6-foot-1, torched Alab early in the contest, dropping 18 points in the opening frame alone.
“I was just trying to get the win for my team. With losing Anthony Tucker, that’s tough for us,” shared McKinney.
“He was a big part of our team so I just tried to do whatever I could out there to try and help my team win. The ball started falling through the basket and [I] just kinda got it going a little bit,” the California-born cager continued.
“Like I said, I was just trying to help my team get the win.”
Last February 27, McKinney had 40 points in Macau to carry the Black Bears to victory. Nine days later, his 50 was not enough as Alab was able to defend home court.
Still, the 27-year-old guard put on a show that drew rave reviews – including one from the 2011 PBA Most Valuable Player Alapag.
Though on the losing end this time around, McKinney could not help but gush at Alapag’s praise that he was like Allen Iverson – one of the greatest NBA players of all time, who stands at just 6-foot flat.
“That’s crazy. I mean, first of all, Jimmy is a legend in his own right so it’s an honor for him to just appreciate my game.
“And to compare me to the guy that I looked up to growing up, Allen Iverson, it was just an honor. I watched Allen Iverson clips before the game,” he shared about idolizing the 2001 NBA MVP growing up.
“That’s the guy I try to model my game around and it’s an honor to be mentioned like that with him and from a guy like Jimmy. It’s a big honor,” he beamed.
