Good fight: Durham, Meralco come up short anew but with their head held high
Allen Durham. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
BOCAUE — Eventually, something’s got to give.
That was how Allen Durham described Meralco’s 101-96 Game 7 defeat to Ginebra as the Bolts finished as bridesmaids anew for the second straight PBA Governors’ Cup Finals.
“Last year, we lost in Game 6. This year, we pushed it to Game 7,” said Durham, putting spotlight on how close Meralco was on claiming its first title in franchise history.
READ: Ginebra escapes Meralco in Game 7, completes title repeat
Durham put up another valiant effort in the final game of the season, unleashing 26 points, 24 rebounds, and nine assists as the Bolts fought back from as much as 20 points down before fizzling out in the end.
But the two-time Best Import was man enough to admit that just like last time, Ginebra was the better team.
“It was a hard fought game. We started a little too late with the spots. But you know, they’re a great team. They kept their foot on the gas, so we got to figure out a way to come out with more intensity at the start so we don’t get down,” he said.
There’s no reason for Durham and the rest of the Bolts to not to keep their head high knowing that the future could only be bright.
READ: Meralco import Durham fined P30k for Game 5 comments
“Eventually, when Ranidel de Ocampo comes back and some of the other pieces that they added — Garvo (Lanete) and the young guys, they’re definitely heading into the right direction,” he said. “The guys really don’t have nothing to hang their head about. We fought good. We lost to a good team. We don’t have to be ashamed or anything like that and we gotta keep working.”
As for Durham, he’s just hoping to get one more shot and earn another return ticket next season, wishing that third time will definitely be the charm for Meralco.
“Hopefully, I can come back next year as we go at it again. It was a hard fought series. It’s tough and it hurts, but we got to figure out a way to get over this hump. I really wanna win with this group of guys. They work so hard, we work so hard and we’re gonna keep going at it,” he said.
