Against a rowdy atmosphere and playing for high stakes, Globalport forward Jay Washington refused to back down.
Washington showcased a bad boy persona on the floor as the Batang Pier went wire to wire before eking out an 84-83 overtime win over crowd favorites Barangay Ginebra on Sunday night.
The veteran forward, who was averaging only 9.4 points/game and a triple per game, came through with an impressive performance to aid Globalport on both ends of the floor.
He finished with 13 points — his third highest output in the conference — and hauled down 5 boards while also shooting 3-for-8 from three-point area.
Aside from his contributions to his team, Washington also engaged in trashtalking and asked the Ginebra crowd to bring the noise. He even got to a near scuffle with former teammate Sol Mercado after the end of the third quarter.
“It’s no hard feelings. I don’t know what he was trying to do. Maybe it is his thing to stay in front of you, so basically, it was just like, get out of my way. Why are you staying in front of my path? Watch out,” Washington shared, adding he and Mercado have talked to each other already after the game.
“It’s nothing. It’s part of the game. We are both real competitors. It won’t carry off the court. It’s just us trying to prove ourselves on the court and trying to help our teams.”
Washington said later the pro-Ginebra crowd even helped the Globalport side.
“Obviously the crowd is backing them. I think the team fed off that too. Hearing them yell for (Ginebra), I think they gave us an extra push knowing we had our backs against the wall,” he said.
The near scuffle which costed Washington a technical foul did not stop him at all; he scored eight of his 13 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, draining two key treys.
“We came together a little bit more. We just tried to defy the odds,” he shared.
Heated ending
Later, Ginebra fans reportedly threw coins to Jay Washington’s car as the Batang Pier forward left the arena.
Wow man “@gmanewsbreaking: Ginebra fans booed outside and threw coins at Jay Washington's car as he left the MOA Arena | via @marspanaligan”
— Kel Williams (@KelWilliams21) December 27, 2015
Ginebra’s Joe Devance reminded their fans to not lose their cool and keep it classy even after a heated affair.
Hey Ginebra Fans i hope its not true of the news of vandalizing globalport players cars and harassing them. They did their job and we didnt
— Joe Devance (@jdv_38) December 27, 2015
Grabe walang batuhan ng piso sayang yun pera rin po yun 😂✌️ sports lang po.
— Terrence Romeo (@tbvromeo) December 27, 2015
Washington added while he didn’t plan to start the game like that, it was the emotion of the game which really led to an antagonist-like persona.
“It’s just the emotions of the game. You don’t necessarily start that way but as things wind down and get tighter, emotions flow a little bit more. It’s all part of the game.”
For the hottest photos in sports go to BurnSports Philippines
