Marcio Lassiter played down his three-point outburst in the Beermen’s breakthrough 127-106 win over the Blackwater Elite, saying that he simply stayed true to his shooter’s mentality following a forgettable struggle in the first two games of this 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Known as the best perimeter shooter in the country today, Lassiter erupted for a timely 29 points on an impressive 9-of-16 shooting from beyond the arc. He also had three rebounds and two assists, helping the Beermen notch their first victory for a 1-2 mark in the mid-season conference.
Lassiter’s 29-point output on 56 percent three-point clip was heaven and earth better than his measly nine-point average on 25 percent (4-of-16) shooting in the Beermen’s two lopsided losses against league-leaders Northport and TNT.
And so this time, Lassiter made a conscious effort to regain his fiery touch, especially with SMB’s first win on the line. Fortunately, it paid off, as the 32-year old seasoned sniper clicked on all cylinders, much to the agony of the stunned Elite.
“I’ve been having some tough games as of late, but I really just try to be in the moment and just play the game, make the right plays, because at the end of the day it’s about winning,” said Lassiter, who was a member of the Mythical First Team last season.
“That’s what I really wanna do, just win. I wanna just to continue playing well and just shoot good, because it’s gonna obviously help our bigs; get them a lot of opportunities to score in the paint. That’s gonna open things up for them,” the national team sniper continued.
“If I can do my part and make threes, I’ll help them out.”
Lassiter, an eight-year PBA veteran, was not alone in the Beermen’s assault of the Elite. Charles Rhodes added 32 points, while Alex Cabagnot with 19. June Mar Fajardo and Von Pessumal also chipped in 12 more markers apiece, making it a total team effort as far as Lassiter is concerned.
“Personally, I was just in the right place and at the right time. My teammates were finding me today,” added Lassiter, deflecting the credits to the still-undermanned Beermen, who are missing the services of other key cogs Arwind Santos (thumb) and Terrence Romeo (Achilles).
“Once I get one or two going, I believe I could string off a few more. It’s just the shooter’s mentality; just keep shooting, that’s all. Just stay aggressive.”
Indeed, Lassiter got going as soon as he regained his groove. He poured seven of his nine triples in the fourth period to douse the Elite, who were then at the height of a fiery uprising from as much as a 20-point deficit.
It was Lassiter’s second career game with at least nine triples. He joins an elite club of Allan Caidic, Kenneth Duremdes, former import Rob Williams, and Ren Ren Ritualo with multiple nine-plus three-point makes in their celebrated PBA career.
For him, it’s just his way to keep his bow and arrow on target. He’ll need to, with crucial upcoming games for the Beermen, who will try to shrug off a slow conference start in a bid to reclaim the Commissioner’s Cup crown.
“To get a great win against a good team that’s obviously at the top, it means a lot. For us to get some momentum and get out of a slump, it’s really imperative that we can come out and just play at a higher level, get a lot of things going,” added Lassiter.
“Hopefully we can all be on the same page and play better, continue just helping each other out.”
Lassiter and SMB shoot for second straight win against no less than last year’s tormentor and reigning Commissioner’s Cup champion Barangay Ginebra this Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
