After a career-defining 18-point, 18-rebound, and eight-assist outing in Lucena last Sunday, the San Miguel Beermen made sure that 6-foot-1 Scottie Thompson would not be able to crash the boards against them once they got back to Manila.
The Beermen made sure that they boxed out Thompson and the Ginebra frontline, scraping a 48-46 advantage on the boards that helped San Miguel take a 99-88 Game Three win to gain a 2-1 series lead.
On his part, Thompson was limited to just eight points, four rebounds, and three assists in 30 minutes of action. And the 23-year-old shared that it was his failure to adjust to in-game that had limited him.
“Normal talaga yun. Kung maganda talaga laro mo last game, paghahandaan ka next game.
“Battle of adjustment na lang siguro ulit,” said the fifth overall pick in the 2015 Draft.
Thompson, who had shot just 12 percent from distance during the elimination round, had been dared by the Beermen to take the shot as they constantly slagged off on him. However, the native of Padada, Davao del Sur fell into the trap, shooting just 4-of-8 from the field — including 0-for-2 from distance.
“Siguro, yun nga yung gameplan nila. Para sa akin, yung ginawa nila, lagi na nilang ginagawa sa akin yun,” remarked Thompson.
With a 1-2 deficit, Thompson knows that they have to adjust. But he will not make the adjustments on his own, saying that he will assimilate to the adjustments that will be implemented by coach Tim Cone and his team — just like what he did during Game Two.
“Wala namang adjustment para sa sarili ko. Mag-a-adjust kami as a team, yun yung gagawin namin.
“Alam naman ni coach Tim kung anong gagawin namin. Aantayin nalang namin kung anong sasabihin niya,” Thompson said. “Sobrang blessed na nandito kami, pero sabi nga ni coach, ang hirap pa ng papasukin namin bago namin makuha yung championship.”
