IN the end, Scottie Thompson’s all-around performance in Game 7 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals on Wednesday left little room for debate among members of the PBA Press Corps.
With 19 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals — second only to Justin Brownlee’s game-high 30 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists — Thompson ran away with the Ramon Fernandez-PBA Finals MVP award, his third overall, as Barangay Ginebra San Miguel snapped a three-year title drought by defeating TNT Tropang 5G, 88-76, before a record crowd of 24,617 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Thompson was on the floor hugging one of his sons when PBAPC Vice President Jonas Terrado announced his name above the deafening din.
Rising to his feet, he mouthed, “Bakit ako? Bakit ako?” as confetti fell and applause echoed throughout the arena.
What made the feat even more remarkable was that Thompson, long considered Barangay Ginebra’s leader before the arrival of RJ Abarrientos, posted those numbers despite suffering a bleeding cut below his left eye just 52 seconds into the game after an inadvertent hit from TNT forward Kelly Williams.
He scored seven points in the opening quarter and was right in the thick of the battle alongside Brownlee during the pivotal third period, when the Kings erased a nine-point deficit and seized control heading into the frantic final 12 minutes.
“Nagising ako,” said Thompson, who initially experienced blurred vision, when asked during the postgame interview how the injury affected him.
As for Abarrientos, who struggled with a 5-of-18 shooting performance against TNT’s defense, Kings coach Tim Cone did his young star playmaker a favor by putting him back into the game with two minutes remaining after backup point guard John Pinto had delivered two huge three-pointers in the fourth quarter.
The second trey, with 3:04 left, gave Barangay Ginebra all the breathing room it needed down the stretch.
The substitution sequence — Abarrientos for Stephen Holt and Holt for Pinto with 2:44 remaining and Ginebra ahead, 80-74, following Pinto’s second three-pointer — allowed Abarrientos to stay on the floor for the rest of the championship-clinching game. He capped his night with a three-pointer, his first after four misses, to make it 83-76.
By then, however, Thompson had already wrapped his fingers around the El Presidente Trophy.
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Meantime, Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao, who provided Game 7 commentary for Cignal and TV5 alongside Quinito “The Dean” Henson and Atty. Charlie Cuna, shared an update on his planned lower back surgery.
“Unless my condition improves, I’ll have surgery in August during a break in the PBA calendar,” he said. “I can’t have it now or in July because I won’t be able to coach, and the next conference (Governors’ Cup) starts on July 10.”
For the time being, Guiao said he will continue to rely on therapy and medication.
