Scottie Thompson felt proud that Barangay Ginebra San Miguel was able to flex the ‘Never Say Die’ spirit right in front of its faithful after beating Terrafirma in the PBA Governors’ Cup, Sunday evening at the Ynares Center.
The Gin Kings started off not in the most ideal of ways and even went down by as deep as 22 points in the third canto. Still, with great resolve, they came back and earned the 112-107 victory to further boost their quarterfinal aspirations.
“Naunahan kami sa first half, pero pinakita namin ‘yung Never Say Die spirit namin,” said the do-it-all guard after the match.
“And of course, first time namin makita ulit yung mga Ginebra fans dito, so kailangan namin sipagan sa second half para bigyan sila ng magandang laro,” he added, drawing cheers from the pro-Ginebra crowd.
Thompson himself embodied the NSD spirit. He tallied a rare triple-double of 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. He also added two steals and a block in over 42 minutes of play.
It was the fifth triple-double of his career, according to the league’s stats chief Fidel Mangonon III, but only his first in three seasons.
Photo by PBA Images
The 28-year-old was actually surprised when told during the walk-off interview that he registered such numbers. But there was no denying how exceptional he was, that coach Tim Cone said that he was the one who willed Ginebra.
“He willed us to this win,” he said. “I really felt that he willed us to this win. He was everywhere and doing everything.
He didn’t have any quit in him – he kept fighting and fighting. And it became contagious for the rest of the team.”
Thompson, however, downplayed his personal outing, since he’s much more concerned about the Barangay as a whole. And he’s also hoping that this will be the start of momentum build-up for the defending champions.
“Marami pang tatrabahuhin,” the Perpetual great said. “Siyempre naghahabol kami sa standings. For now, hindi ko muna iniisip ‘yun.
“Especially, kailangan sa team muna. Nag-pay off lang lahat ng hard work. And ‘yung chemistry, as a team, kailangan nagje-jel na kami. So sana, itong game na ‘to, makakuha kami ng momentum.”
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