Tag: dagger

Newsome, Merlaco deliver own dagger in Game 3

On: By: admin


Chris Newsome and the Meralco Bolts after beating the San Miguel Beermen in Game 3 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Meralco defeated San Miguel in Game 3 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals in familiar fashion on Sunday night.

With the game on the line, Chris Newsome drilled a go-ahead triple from the corner with 34 seconds to go that turned out to be the dagger in the Bolts’ 93-89 escape for a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven title series.

“To be honest,  I wasn’t thinking. I was just being in the moment,” said Newsome.

“It felt good that my shot did fall but at the end of the day, you can’t let your guard down until it [the clock] says 0:00.”

READ: PBA Finals: Meralco escapes San Miguel for 2-1 series edge

Newsome’s shot was reminiscent of Marcio Lassiter’s 3-pointer with 13 ticks remaining that capped the Beermen’s late rally in the final 30 seconds of Game 2.

Newsome finished with 26 points, four rebounds and four assists. He came alive in the second half, where he fired 20 points.

Despite his heroics that include a pair of free throws to seal the game, the 30-year-old swingman put more emphasis on playing smarter especially down the stretch.

READ: PBA Finals: Meralco quickly moves on from Game 2 heartbreak

“It’s about staying present and focusing on possessions at hand. I hate turning the ball and having those mental lapses,” said Newsome, who committed a turnover with a minute left that led to a couple of freebies by June Mar Fajardo for an 89-88 San Miguel lead.

“Those are things I could look at after the game and I can’t let that affect me in the next play. My team’s counting on me to be strong for them and to be a leader for them.”

Fortunately for Newsome, he was able to redeem himself in a major way and win it for Meralco.

Marcio dagger has changed complexion of series

On: By: admin


Marcio Lassiter is more focused on the Beermen’s title bid than he is on his chase of a cherished league record. —PBA IMAGES

Frosty for most of Friday night, San Miguel Beer marksman Marcio Lassiter came through in the final moments of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals, bailing the much-fancied Beermen out from what would have been a 0-2 hole against hard-fighting Meralco.

Despite a 1-for-7 shooting going into that final play, Lassiter hit a step-back triple from the left wing with 13.2 seconds remaining to give the Beermen the lead. It turned out to be the basket the defending champions needed to ultimately level the best-of-seven championship series to a game apiece.

“We just knew if I get to my spot and just read the defense—that was all I really needed,” he told reporters on the heels of the 95-94 escape act fashioned out before a decent-sized crowd at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

“Anytime I can get a good look and see the rim, I really feel like I [can hit it]. I’ve done it a few times before so I just tried to stay poised,” he added.

Lassiter is a holdover of San Miguel’s fabled starting unit dubbed the “Death Five.” Him, Chris Ross, along with reigning Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo are all shooting for their 11th PBA crown.

Teammate Jericho Cruz believes that winning so much in the past has sharpened Lassiter for such clutch situations.

“They’ve been here long enough. They’ve been in the league for quite a while. I bet we can no longer count the number of game-winning shots he has made,” the sparkplug guard said of Lassiter, a 13-year veteran.

CJ Perez’s equally resilient performance set the stage up for the game-winner, as the spitfire guard was also having a rough shooting by going 11-for-27 before hitting a triple of his own that allowed the Beermen to pull within one, 93-92, with 22 seconds to go.

Perez wound up with a career playoff-high 34 points, while Lassiter had six.

“[Marcio], Chris, June Mar, right? For me, as long as they’re inside, we’re confident that we could win the game,” Cruz went on. “I just hope this goes on until we become champions again.”