Mikey Williams hardly felt dazed by the brightest of lights as he starred for TNT in its Game One conquest of Magnolia in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
The fourth overall pick finished with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds. He also had five assists and two steals to lead the Tropang Giga to a dominant 88-70 victory to gain a headstart in the best-of-seven series.
“I just wanted to come in and be aggressive, and just try to pick and choose my spots. Just continue to do what I’ve done all year,” he said after the win at the DHVSU Gym, Wednesday night.
“I just came in and just wanted to contribute.”
The 29-year-old shot 53-percent from the field, including 5-of-6 from deep. His last triple gave the Tropa their biggest lead at 32 late in the third.
It was easily his best shooting performance in the playoffs so far. Back in the semis versus San Miguel, the NBA G-League vet shot just 32-percent.
Williams said that this will boost his confidence moving forward into the series, especially after an up-and-down performance in the last stage. He saw himself shackled by the Beermen’s defense, particularly by two-time DPoY Chris Ross.
“It’s definitely a confidence booster. You know, my up-and-down play in the San Miguel series… Just trying to come in and continue to assert myself as best as I can to help my team at the end of the day,” he said.
The Cal State-Fullerton product didn’t take all the credit, though. He also thanked his coaches for allowing him to play his game.
“I’m just gonna continue to do what I can and just picking my spots when I can. But coaches are giving me the freedom to play my game, so it’s making my job a lot easier, and that’s confidence in itself,” he said.
Still, Williams was quick to remind that this is just the start of the championship battle. And he now has sights set on where the team can improve come Game Two a couple of nights from now.
“We have to shift our focus now to Game Two and get ready, prepare, and make sure that we kinda cut out all the little, tacky fouls that we’ve been doing. Not trying to be over-aggressive or overzealous,” he said.
“I’m definitely gonna get back to the drawing board and figure out things that I can do to kinda neutralize the pressure that they’re putting on us; and just be more effective and just definitely take care of the ball.“
