Even after filling the stat sheet like he usually does, even after making a big shot, and even after a come-from-behind win, Scottie Thompson wasn’t really that pleased with the way Barangay Ginebra played Sunday night.
“We didn’t play our best game this time, (kahit) nahabol pa namin,” said the 24-year-old after their 104-97 victory over GlobalPort Batang Pier — a win they pulled off after being down by as much as nine points entering the final canto.
Thompson, who scattered nine points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists in the win and nailed a huge lay-up off the spin with 1:13 left to play that widened Ginebra’s lead to 102-97, simply echoed the sentiments of head coach Tim Cone.
“That’s teams coming from championships do. This is the way they do it. They sleepwalk for three and a half quarters, then try to win the game down the stretch,” rued Cone.
“And this is something we really want to try to avoid.”
Thompson logged in 37 minutes for the Barangay. And most of his minutes was spent on defending the other team’s guard — a role that is usually fulfilled by Sol Mercado, who has yet to return to the fold due to an ankle injury.
And doing that task, Thompson admits, is truly a tedious one. The Perpetual Altas product guarded Stanley Pringle Sunday, and the Fil-American guard still managed to do it all for GlobalPort with 23 points, eight boards, and 10 dimes.
“Yun nga sabi ko kay Sol [Mercado], sana bumalik na siya,” shared the six-foot-one Thompson. “Sa defensive end kailangan na kailangan namin siya. Sobrang nakakapagod pala yung role niya.
“Sana makabalik na si Sol.”
Still, a win is a win, as they say. And for their second straight victory, Thompson gave credit to the thousands of Ginebra fans inside the SMART Araneta Coliseum, for they were instrumental in mounting their comeback.
“I think yung momentum, yung last six minutes nung fourth quarter, dahil sa mga fans,” said Thompson.
