Before the 2024 NBA Draft, we’ll take an in-depth look at different prospects here at Liberty Ballers and try to figure out which players would be the best fit for the Sixers at Nos. 16 and 41. Next up in this series isCreighton’s Baylor Scheierman.
Baylor Scheierman destroyed the Summit League during his time at South Dakota State, becoming the conference’s Player of the Year for the 2021-22 season. That led to a transfer to Creighton, where he changed from being a jumbo-sized point guard to more of a playmaking — and high-volume shooting — wing.
Scheierman fit right into Creighton’s offense as a high-volume three-point shooter. He hit a preposterous 45.6% from deep in his sophomore and junior seasons at South Dakota State. His efficiency went down in a tougher league on a higher volume, but he still hit 38.1% on over eight attempts per game last season. He’s not just a shooter though. His experience as a point guard showed as a secondary playmaker for the Bluejays. He has a methodical style with the ball in his hands, but he often makes good decisions and delivers crisp passes.
He’s not the greatest athlete, but he fights on defense. He often took on difficult defensive assignments for Creighton and acquitted himself well against stiff competition in the NCAA Tournament. He’s also an excellent rebounder, pulling down over nine a game last season.
Weaknesses
Scheierman is one of the oldest players in this draft. He’ll turn 24 before the 2024-25 season begins. He was excellent for the Bluejays, but was also playing at 23 years old. The other concern is going to be a lack of elite athleticism. He actually tested decently at the combine, but there could be concerns when it’s time to go against NBA athletes.
Positional Fit
Scheierman’s experience as a point guard at 6-foot-6 makes him intriguing. The player I see the most is Joe Ingles — a big lefty that can handle, pass and shoot the hell out of the ball. Ingles has never been an explosive athlete, but he fights on defense and uses his savvy to make up for those limitations. It’s easy to see a similar NBA path for Scheierman.
Draft Projection
Late first, early second round
Bottom line, Scheierman can really play. He can shoot, has high-level feel and plays his butt off on defense. He doesn’t have any type of star ceiling, but he projects as a really intriguing role player. If he’s still there at pick 41, he should absolutely be in play for the Sixers.
The Sixers’ offseason flexibility has had them tied to numerous big names — Paul George, LeBron James and Jimmy Butler. Along with these stars, Brandon Ingram was linked as a potential trade option if they were to strike out in free agency. We now have news that the New Orleans Pelicans have reached out to the Sixers regarding Ingram.
The Athletic’s Kelly Iko had the latest scoop on Ingram, along with other Houston-centric storylines in his latest draft notebook:
“…New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram was mentioned as a player seen in a lower tier than Mitchell and in recent days, rumors have swirled about the Pelicans dangling Ingram in trade talks and in one iteration, a hypothetical Ingram-for-Alperen Şengün swap was mentioned, but the Rockets have no interest, team sources said. League sources said New Orleans also contacted the Philadelphia 76ers concerning a possible Ingram trade.”
Recent rumors and reports out of NOLA have suggested that extension talks with Ingram are at a complete standstill, so it makes sense that they’re making calls ahead of next week’s draft. We can get a feel for what the current ask might be if they suggested a straight up swap for Houston’s Alperen Sengun, a rising star who was in the conversation for Most Improved Player this season.
While NOLA’s preference might be getting back a contributor, it’s unlikely that’ll be the case if the Sixers agree to an Ingram deal. An Ingram-Philly trade framework would likely revolve around draft capital, as the Sixers can offer up to five first-round draft picks on draft night.
The current ask isn’t monstrous for a former All-Star such as Ingram, and it’s likely to drop until an actual deal takes place. Around the NBA, teams are looking to shed salary, not add it. Not only is Ingram’s salary large now, but his future team will also need to work out an extension, as he’ll be an unrestricted free agent after next season — another factor that could cause the ask to drop even further. Whether you’re an Ingram fan or not, the appeal of adding him becomes even more intriguing if you’re able to do it for a low price.
It seems like the Paul George smoke has intensified over the past few days, and this Ingram news will only add speculation to what should be a busy offseason for the Sixers.
That’s a wrap on the NBA Season, and the dreaded Boston Celtics fans get to party in the streets for the 13th time since 1957.
If the Sixers want to beat a team with as much top-end firepower as the team that Danny Ainge (now with the Jazz, although he did most of the heavy lifting here), Mike Zarren and current President Brad Stevens have built, they’re going to need major reinforcements.
The name at the top of Daryl Morey’s wishlist is Clippers’ star Paul George. PG has a player option for the coming season worth $48.7M.
But we heard reports earlier this season that Steve Ballmer, by far the NBA’s richest owner worth an estimated $129.7B, was hesitant to allow his front office to offer PG more money than Kawhi Leonard on a potential extension.
Leonard, the two-time NBA Finals MVP, is the Clippers best player when healthy. But as Sixers fans know all too well, that “when healthy” distinction is kind of a big asterisk. PG, now 34, isn’t exactly an exemplar of perfect health himself, but he was the safer bet than Leonard to be healthy by playoff time. And he seems like the safer bet for the next three-four seasons as well.
On ESPN’s “Get UP” Monday, insider Brian Windhorst speculated on the latest from Clipperville:
“What is interesting to me is that is that the Clippers are very aware that somebody is going to offer [George] a four-year max contract. Whether that’s the 76ers or the Magic or a team could even trade for him. But there’s another thing with Paul George that I want to point out. He has an option in his contract. It’s known as ‘The Chris Paul Move.’ Where you come to a team and say ‘I’m either going to sign with this team over here, or you’re gonna pick up my option and trade me there.’ So even if you don’t have cap space, a team for example, like the New York Knicks. Okay, if they wanted Paul George they could say ‘okay, you could come to us, we’ll trade for you.’ You don’t have to sign him outright. Clippers know all this is gonna go on. And yet they’re still not making this offer. They’re still not [inaudible] to do this. And so if you get to July 1st, and the Clippers have done this, they’re gonna play hardball, that’s when you know he’s truly gonna be in the market. I suspect the Clippers read, at least on June 17th, is that they’re calling his bluff. They don’t actually think he’s gonna leave his hometown of L.A. to go to Philly or Orlando or some thing like that.”
This stalemate would seem to have begun back in January.
The Clippers essentially drew a line in the sand implying PG wasn’t deserving of what Kawhi was (three years, $152M) received last January, offering him less on an extension. PG wisely scoffed at the insulting, paltry bid. Now that miscalculation may bite them.
If George opts out, he is eligible to sign a four-year deal (the NBA’s “Over 38” rule forbids teams from offering him a fifth year) max deal worth up to roughly $221.1M. Possessing George’s Bird Rights, the Clips can offer the nine-time All-Star 8 percent raises, while all other teams can only offer 5 percent raises.
That means the Sixers can “only” offer George $212.5M over the same deal. Still, it’s only an $8.6M difference.
As one might expect in any ongoing negotiation, the PG-to-Philly barometer has swung a few times lately. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski back in May reported that, “The Clippers are determined to keep Paul George and James Harden in free agency, and the organization will move into the new, state-of-the-art Intuit Dome for the start of next season.”
But Windy is, more recently at least, singing a different tune.
Examining that Chris Paul opt-in-and-trade scenario (the kind Daryl Morey, while in Houston, once famously executed to rescue Chris Paul from Doc Rivers the Clips), with an expanding salary cap, it does seem PG could make more money long-term by opting in.
But he’d have to wait six months, and if any player knows that catastrophic injuries can occur, it’s PG, who broke his leg in multiple places back in 2014 during USA Team play.
If I were deciding between $212M today or waiting I’m not sure I’d want to risk playing from November through January for the additional ~$12M. Additionally, PG could learn the “Carmelo Anthony” lesson, and try to avoid depleting whichever new team he wants to play for of precious draft assets they’d need later to beat the Celtics.
So the best news here is that it appears the Clippers are still playing hardball with George. They’ve done nothing to suggest thus far that they feel he’s worth every penny of a max deal. As stellar as the quintessential triple-threat-3-and-D wing has been, with a new arena set to open, deciding he couldn’t make as much as Leonard, now trying to catch a bluff? It’s all pretty weird. Imagine how Kawhi would feel if they wound up letting him walk for nothing in return?
Is there any chance they’re pulling a bit of a 2023 version of the Morey-with-Harden, and sending these silent signals in hopes he opts in, so that they can make a blockbuster move? Unlike Beard, PG has max offers elsewhere tempting him not to do that.
The less good news for the Sixers here is this idea that PG could ultimately make more money by opting in, which could give him incentive to listen to pitches from contenders without cap space. Yuck.
The Sixers can spend up to $65M in cap. But if other teams can trade for him — with plans to extend him come January for even more than the max he’ll command in July — well, you can see the problem there. Miami? Cleveland? New York?
George, a CAA client shares an agent with Knicks’ star Jalen Brunson. The Knicks have been linked to PG in some reports too.
If PG felt Brunson is a safer bet than Embiid to be healthy come next year’s playoffs… maybe that throws a monkeywrench in the works for Morey — even if things fall apart with PG and the Clips.
But let’s focus on the good news for today. The Clippers appear to think that PG won’t leave, they certainly aren’t rolling out any red carpets like Morey is, and are perhaps “calling a bluff.” That would, I’d argue, mark the second time they’ve insulted him in five months. First, by deciding he’s not worth what Leonard was last January, and again now, knowing that other teams are prepared to drop a full stack, while they quibble over an amount that equates to about 0.17% of Ballmer’s total net worth.
We already basically know the Boston Celtics are our 2024 NBA Champions. (Excuse me while I choke down the vomit threatening to rise up the back of my throat.) NBA teams who go up 3-0 in a seven-game series are 151-0. Teams that go up 3-0 in the Finals are 12-0, and have completed the sweep seven out of 12 times. It would take something literally unprecedented in the history of the league for Boston to not emerge the victor. And we’re looking at about even money that the season ends tonight, which current betting lines agree with, as DraftKings lists the Dallas Mavericks as just one-point favorites in tonight’s Game 4.
The question remains as to how the Celtics will be crowned champions. Will they complete the sweep tonight, capping an incredibly efficient regular season and dominant postseason run, after which we’ll have to have a reckoning about their place among the better teams of all time? They were a star-studded superteam completely unselfish with the ball offensively and terrorizing at the point of attack on defense. I, for one, sure hope not. Or can Dallas fight back, winning a game or maybe even two? We can then return to thinking in the back of our minds, ‘Sure, Boston was a good team, but they had a super easy path laid out in front of them and we don’t know how they would have responded to a real challenge.’ That would be a nice, cozy place to go back to heading into the offseason.
On one final note, I don’t understand all the backlash towards Luka Doncic. Are there areas of his game he could improve upon? Sure. But the Mavericks fought through a tremendously talented Western Conference to reach the Finals with him as the centerpiece. The young man is getting pain-killing injections to go out there and play and his teammates largely haven’t stepped up against Boston like we saw in prior rounds. There’s really no shame in losing to a better team, and the fact that everyone wants to bury him for fouling out in Game 3 just seems a little misguided. Yeah, some of those fouls were really poor decisions on his part, but I also felt he got a rough whistle (perhaps because the refs are sick of him chirping at them), he’s playing hurt and soaking up a ton of usage, and Boston always seems to have some answer for what the Mavs throw at them. It’s understandable if Luka is getting a little frustrated during these games. It’ll be a good learning experience for him.
We’ll see what happens tonight and whether we’ll have a Game 5.
Game Details
Who: Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks When: 8:30 p.m. ET Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX Watch: ABC Follow:@LibertyBallers
Before the 2024 NBA Draft, we’ll take an in-depth look at different prospects here at Liberty Ballers and try to figure out which players would be the best fit for the Sixers at Nos. 16 and 41. Next up in this series isKansas’ Kevin McCullar.
Kansas’ Kevin McCullar played four seasons with Texas Tech, later transferring to Kansas and playing two seasons with the Jayhawks. McCullar excelled last season, putting up career highs in minutes, three-point percentage, assists and points. Now he’ll have a chance to pop at the next level.
Kevin McCullar spent his five years in college well, dramatically improving as a perimeter scorer with a recent shooting resurgence. McCullar’s three-point percentage doesn’t jump off the page at a lackluster 33.3 percent, but he did take a career-high 4.5 attempts per game and refined his form for the better. His free throw shooting (typically a good indicator of where a prospects shooting is) also crept up into the 80s. McCullar has great offensive IQ, timing his cuts well and finding the defensive weak spots with ease. He thrived as a playmaker with Kansas, rarely turning the ball over and facilitating pick-and-rolls and dribble handoffs. He’s a capable scorer from most areas on the floor, and finished well within the three-point arc. Defensively, he brings intensity, effort and focus as a defender and rebounder. He defends well off-ball and offers some size as a helper at the rim.
Weaknesses
McCullar is one of the older prospects in this draft, which means he’ll likely have a high floor compared to most prospects in his range while also having a limited ceiling. Most causes for concern revolve around his shooting and how real his resurgence was/is. Prior to this year, McCullar failed to shoot above 30 percent in three of his four seasons, averaging a rough 29.8 percent from three in his first four collegiate seasons. Outside of shooting concerns, McCullar doesn’t project to be a dynamic ball hander who can lead an offense. Look for him to play a role similar to Joe Ingles, Nic Batum, Kyle Anderson — someone who can complement the offense and move the ball well, while not being the prime playmaker.
Positional Fit
McCullar’s defensive versatility, length and playmaking ability should allow him to play multiple positions at the next level — most notably at either forward spot. McCullar’s game has shades of Bruce Brown — a defensive-minded forward, that’s capable of slashing to the rim and getting teammates involved with his playmaking ability.
Draft Projection
Late first round, early second
McCullar is one of the more seasoned prospects in this draft, with his floor likely being drafted in the second round as contending teams look for players who can contribute fast. Although, some drafts do have him going in the late first round, where contenders will be looking for players who can provide skills day one.
Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis talks with reporters before basketball practice, Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Dallas, in preparation for Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News via AP)
DALLAS— Kristaps Porzingis didn’t do an encore with reporters two days after Boston’s big man answered questions in the immediate aftermath of the announcement of his rare lower left leg injury.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t offer much insight, either, which means Thursday’s injury report will be the closest thing to any official word on whether Porzingis’ latest ailment will keep him out of Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Dallas on Friday night.
The Celtics listed Porzingis as questionable for Game 4, just as he was before getting ruled out about two hours before Game 3.
READ: NBA Finals: Porzingis’ status uncertain due to rare leg injury
Boston moved within a victory of an 18th championship without Porzingis, beating Dallas 106-99 on Wednesday for a 3-0 series lead. The Celtics are poised to break a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most NBA titles.
The 7-foot-2 Latvian has a dislocated tendon in his left leg, caused by a tear of the tissue that holds tendons in place. The team has called the injury rare, and Mazzulla labeled it “serious.”
Porzingis played the first two games of the finals, with a crucial role in the Game 1 win, after missing the previous 10 playoff games with a strained right calf.
Mazzulla said the commanding series lead would have no bearing on whether Porzingis plays. The medical staff deemed him unfit to play after putting him through drills before Game 3.
READ: NBA Finals: Porzingis a big problem for Mavericks team that cast him off
“Kristaps has gotten better from yesterday to today,” Mazzulla said Thursday. “He’s fighting like hell to play. But it’s going to be up to us to protect him and to make sure that it’s in the best interest for him as a player and as a person.”
Porzingis played beyond the first round of the playoffs for the first time in his career when he had 11 of his 20 points and two of his three blocks in the first quarter of Boston’s 107-89 victory in Game 1.
The injury happened in the third quarter of Game 2, when Porzingis said he knocked knees with Dallas rookie center Dereck Lively II when they went for a rebound on a free throw.
READ: NBA Finals: Celtics land biggest punches again to move closer to title
Al Horford has started all three games in the finals, including the two when Porzingis played, and Xavier Tillman Sr. had a 3-pointer during a 20-5 Boston run while playing for the first time in the title series with Porzingis out.
“We’ve been playing all season and all playoffs without (Porzingis),” star guard Jaylen Brown said. “Obviously, we’d love to have (Porzingis) out there. We are different when he is. But X stepped in that role, and I thought he was great.”
Porzingis signed a $60 million, two-year extension with the Celtics after they acquired him in a trade with Washington last summer. That deal kicks in next season.
Regardless of whether he plays, Porzingis has a chance to win a championship at the home of the Mavericks, who acquired him in a blockbuster 2019 trade with the New York Knicks, hoping to create a dynamic European pairing with Dallas superstar Luka Doncic.
The Mavs branded that deal a failure by sending Porzingis to Washington before the trade deadline in 2022. The 28-year-old has a long history of injuries, including in New York and Dallas, and could be celebrating in street clothes on his old home court.
“I’ve been through some stuff in my career, and obviously this is a rough patch coming back and having something happen right away again,” Porzingis said Tuesday, when the injury was announced. “It’s very — just a tough moment right now.”
PBA Finals: Meralco, San Miguel brace for war with pivotal Game 5 up
San Miguel Beermen vs Meralco Bolts in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—There has been a popular notion in basketball that when a best-of-seven duel is tied at 2-2, whoever wins Game 5 wins the series.
While that may have proven true for several series in the past, players from Meralco and San Miguel don’t see the same thing going down in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
Just ask Chris Newsome and Chris Ross, who will be leading their respective teams in the now-virtual best-of-three series for the All-Filipino trophy. FULL STORY
PBA Finals: With tiebreaker looming, Meralco tries to dig out more points
Meralco Bolts’ Chris Newsome during Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against San Miguel Beermen. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Producing the best scoring game of his PBA career with 40 points provided little silver lining for Meralco’s Chris Newsome after San Miguel Beer evened things up at 2-2 in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
“It’s great that I scored 40, but the win is definitely more important,” Newsome said after the Game 4 defeat on Wednesday night.
Newsome and the Bolts have another crack at getting a third win, and closer to their first-ever PBA title, in Friday’s pivotal fifth game of the series at Smart Araneta Coliseum. FULL STORY
PBA: Terrence Romeo determined to help San Miguel despite injury
San Miguel Beermen guard Terrence Romeo suits up in PBA Finals Game 4. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—San Miguel Beer coach Jorge Gallent commended Terrence Romeo for playing through the pain in Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
In the Beermen’s 111-101 conquest of Meralco, Romeo played significant minutes despite nursing an aching calf.
Gallent said that Romeo insisted on playing for the Beermen in hopes of avoiding a 3-1 rut. FULL STORY
PBA: Chris Newsome’s career-best down the drain with Game 4 loss
Meralco Bolts’ Chris Newsome during Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against San Miguel Beermen. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—It may have been a career night for Chris Newsome, but that was the last thing on his mind after Meralco Bolts’ ‘ Game 4 loss to San Miguel in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
Newsome scored a career best 40 points only for the Bolts to lose to the Beermen and have the series pushed back to square one at 2-2.
“They made their adjustments. That’s what a playoff series is all about. They definitely came with a lot more energy today and you certainly saw it,” said Newsome. FULL STORY
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Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) looks on as referee John Conley (79) gives a review on a play against the Boston Celtics during the second half in Game 3 of the NBA basketball finals, Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Dallas. Doncic fouled out in the fourth quarter. (AP Photo/Sam Hodde)
SCHEDULE: NBA Finals 2024 Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks
DALLAS— Luka Doncic tried to set his feet just beyond the 3-point line as the Dallas Mavericks were making a furious comeback attempt.
The superstar in his first NBA Finals was defending Jaylen Brown when the Boston guard dribbled between his legs, ducked his shoulder and made contact that sent both players hard to the ground with 4:12 left in the game. The foul was called against Doncic, who sat on the floor in disbelief with both of his arms stretched up into the air.
It was Doncic’s sixth foul of the game, his fourth in the fourth quarter, and his night was done after coach Jason Kidd’s unsuccessful challenge of the call. The Mavericks also were pretty much done for the game — and maybe the series as well — after the Boston Celtics won 106-99 on Wednesday night to go up 3-0 in the series.
“Yeah, we had a good chance. We were close. Just didn’t get it,” Doncic said. “I wish I was out there.”
READ: Celtics hold off Mavericks for commanding 3-0 NBA Finals lead
The Mavericks are now in a maybe impossible hole in these NBA Finals, after almost crawling all the way out of a big one before Doncic fouled out. They had a 22-2 run that began not long after his first foul of the quarter, and ended soon after he was sitting on the bench.
This is the 157th time a team has lost the first three games in a best-of-seven NBA playoff series. None of them has ever come back to win the series and only four have even forced a Game 7 — and the only time that happened in the NBA Finals was in 1951 by the New York Knicks.
Doncic had 27 points despite going only 1 of 7 on 3-pointers before he fouled out for only the third time in his six NBA seasons — 400 regular-season games and 51 more in the playoffs. He had never had four fouls in the same quarter before his whistle-plagued 7 1/2-minute span.
“I mean, I don’t know. We couldn’t play physical. I don’t know. I don’t want to say nothing,” Doncic said.
“You know, six fouls in the NBA Finals, basically I’m like this,” he said, motioning with his palms held out. “C’mon, man. Better than that.”
READ: NBA Finals: Luka Doncic triple-double not enough for Mavericks
Brown missed a 13-foot shot after the replay challenge, and the Mavericks — who had charged out to a 22-9 lead in the first 6:12 of the game — got a 17-foot jumper from Kyrie Irving to get within 93-92 with 3:37 left. That was the closest they got before Brown tipped in a miss by Jayson Tatum.
Doncic’s sixth foul came only 26 seconds after his fifth, also a play involving Brown when it appeared the Celtics guard may have hooked Doncic.
“Yeah, it looked … looks can be deceiving,” Kidd said.
There was no challenge then, but Kidd certainly had to try on the next one in an effort to keep Doncic in the game.
“I was stuck. I had to challenge it,” Kidd said. “Had to challenge because it was a close call. But the referee called it a foul. Got to move on, move forward.”
Game 4 is Friday night, and the Mavericks have to win just to send the series back to Boston.
“It’s not over till it’s over. We just got to believe. Like I always say, it’s first to four,” Doncic said. “We’re going to stay together. We lose together, we win together. So we got to stay together.”
San Miguel Beermen guard Terrence Romeo suits up in PBA Finals Game 4. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
SCHEDULE: 2024 PBA Philippine Cup semifinals
MANILA, Philippines—San Miguel Beer coach Jorge Gallent commended Terrence Romeo for playing through the pain in Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
In the Beermen’s 111-101 conquest of Meralco, Romeo played significant minutes despite nursing an aching calf.
Gallent said that Romeo insisted on playing for the Beermen in hopes of avoiding a 3-1 rut.
“Terrence played well but I’m sure he’s not healthy yet but the kid just wants to win and help the team, that’s why he played now,” said Gallent at Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.
“[He’s still listed as] day-by-day. He just decided to play because he really wanted to help the team.”
In just 18 minutes of action, Romeo delivered like he wasn’t in pain with seven points, three assists and a rebound.
Still listed as day-to-day by San Miguel, Gallent said he’s just happy with how Romeo is treating the PBA Finals series even with an injury.
“I’m very happy that that’s his mentality. He talked to me yesterday and said he’ll try it and in case I bring him inside, he’ll give his 110, which he did now.”
“I told him, if there’s a chance that I can bring you inside, can you play at least a hundred percent? He did it today. Very happy that he followed the instructions.”
For June Mar Fajardo and the San Miguel Beermen, Meralco’s stifling defense has made the quest for another championship one of the toughest they had experienced.
For one night, at least, they found the antidote.
With some help from a pair of players that saw action for the first time in the series, the defending champions, a 111-101 winner on Wednesday, put themselves back on level terms with the Bolts in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
“Credit to Meralco, not only for the way it’s defending me, but the whole team,” Fajardo said after his 28-point, 13-rebound outing on the night he won the Best Player of the Conference for an astonishing 10th time at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Fajardo has spent the previous three games of the showdown for the biggest prize of the PBA season trying to solve the defense thrown at him by the Bolts, a ploy anchored on the likes of rookie Brandon Bates and veteran Raymond Almazan.
Fajardo seemed to have found the answer, and so did the rest of the Beermen.
CJ Perez had another key performance along with Marcio Lassiter with his three-point shooting and San Miguel breached the century mark for the first time in the series after averaging just 90 entering Game 4.
Perhaps the most crucial adjustment that helped that was the decision by coach Jorge Gallent and his staff to give Terrence Romeo and Vic Manuel significant minutes in the second half. The two had not played in the Finals until Game 4, which was held on the same day the country celebrated its 126th year of independence.
Trajectory change
Romeo had been bothered by a calf injury after the semifinal sweep of Rain or Shine while Manuel had to wait until Wednesday to get his number called.
Manuel and Romeo combined for 15 points, the former making good on his seven-minute stint to backstop Fajardo and Mo Tautuaa.
“I asked them if they can play at least 110 percent, and they did,” Gallent said.
Gallent believes the win could change the trajectory of a series dictated by the Bolts, but only if the Beermen continue to find their shots.
“In the first three games, they were having 16 more shots than us,” Gallent said. “If a team averages 16 more shots than you, that’s really hard to beat [them] and really hard to win.”
Chris Newsome produced a career-high 40 points, most of which came as the Bolts were attempting to cut multiple double-digit deficits in the second half; the closest the Bolts got was within two.
A completed comeback would have been a series-defining moment. Instead, Meralco will look to get back to the drawing board and find a way to regain control.
