‘It sucks it has to end this way,’ Johnson on exit

Orlando Johnson after game. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Less than a minute remained in the digital clocks of the historic Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Alaska had a 108-100 lead and was poised to fulfill its comeback as Ginebra struggled make its own rise.

The buzzer sounded and with a quick pass to the top of the key, Orlando Johnson catches the ball, rises and shoots. He cut the Alaska lead to 108-103 with 29.7 seconds remaining in the game.

His three, however, was the final highlight of his PBA stint. His Ginebra San Miguel lost to the Aces, 114-108, in the quarterfinals of the PBA Governors’ Cup.

“It sucks it had to end this way,” Johnson said, frustrated and dejected after the loss.

Ginebra owned the first half and midway through the third quarter, but Alaska had multiple aces up its sleeves and Ginebra never recovered.

As good as his final moments were, his start was almost pedestrian.

“I wish I got those looks in the first two quarters… I felt we had a good pace but I wasn’t getting involved,” Johnson said, his voice low and wanting to get things over with.

At the sound of the buzzer, Johnson contemplated what would happen next.

His answer was of a bigger scale: “Be back in the NBA.”