MATAPOS ang 14 na taong paghihintay at pagtitiyaga sa Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), ay hinirang nang kampeon sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon ang Meralco Bolts.
Ginulat ng Manny V. Pangilinan-owned squad ang San Miguel Beermen matapos ipanalo ni Chris Newsome ang kanyang koponan, 80-78, sa likod ng isang clutch shot na may 1.4 seconds nalang na natitira sa oras.
Matapos lumamang ng 17 points, naitabla ng San Miguel ang laro dahil sa lay-up ni Simon Enciso, at back-to-back score na may kasamang bihirang three point shot ng Best Player of the Conference na si June Mar Fajardo.
Ngunit, nagkaroon pa ng kaunting oras para mag-operate si Newsome, kung saan nai-shoot niya ang isa sa pinakamalaking basket ng career niya. Isang baseline jumper laban sa napakagandang depensa ni Don Trollano.
Nagkaroon pa ng isang pagkakataon ang Beermen para maipilit ang Game 7, ngunit hindi na na-convert ni Fajardo ang pangalawang attempt niya sa three point area.
“They needed to work hard to earn it not just in this game but also during the entire series,” sabi ni Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo, na ngayon ay two-time PBA champion head coach na.
“I’m just proud of the way these guys battled through it. You know, it was one of those series where every game was very close and came down to the wire.”
“But our guys deserve credit; they found a way to keep on staying on. They showed composure in the second half for us,” nagpatuloy si Trillo.
Dala ng game winning heroics at solid performance ni Newsome buong PBA Finals matapos mag-average ng 22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, at 4.5 assists, siya ay pinarangalang Finals MVP.
“This is a special moment because honestly, we didn’t really think we were going to get this far. We didn’t even think we were going to make it to the playoffs. But here we are,” sabi ni Newsome.
“So, if you continue to work hard, believe in what you’re doing, and trust the organization, good things will eventually happen,” idinagdag niya.
Nagtala rin ng 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block sa title-clinching game si Newsome. All around din ang performance ni Chris Banchero na nagtala ng 10 points, eight rebounds, at eight assists.
Ang 14th overall pick noong 2018 ng Meralco na si Bong Quinto ay nagdagdag naman ng 11 points. Habang ang beteranong sina Allein Maliksi at Raymond Almazan ay nagtala ng 14 points at 9 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks.
Para naman sa San Miguel, si Fajardo ay nagtala ng double-double na 21 points at 12 rebounds. Si CJ Perez naman ay nalimitahan sa 14 points at nine rebounds, habang 6-of-15 naman ang kanyang shooting.
Ang PBA Finals series na ito ay isa sa pinaka-exciting na Finals sa mga nagdaang taon. Dikdikan ang nangyari sa seryeng ito na may winning margin na 4.67 points per game lamang.
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