Birthday boy Helterbrand delivers throwback performance

Jayjay Helterbrand celebrates after sparking a fourth-quarter run for Ginebra in the game 4 win. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

If the old adage “life begins at 40” rings true, then Jayjay Helterbrand just began his with a bang.

Helterbrand celebrated his 40th year on Friday by turning in a clutch performance reminiscent of his heyday with Ginebra.

The other half of the “Fast and Furious” duo scored all of his 11 points in the fourth and sparked the Gin Kings’ pivotal rally to tie the series at 2-2 with an 88-86 squeaker.

It was like the basketball gods gave Helterbrand the clutch pedal for a gift.

“First and foremost, all glory goes to God, this is all orchestrated by Him and it’s because of Him this happened,” said Helterbrand after the win at Smart Araneta Coliseum. “I don’t even know what happened, I tried to give my team the lift and provide the energy.”

With the Gin Kings trailing 74-58 at the start of the fourth, the 2009 PBA MVP showed the young guys in his team how it’s done.

Helterbrand made all four of his shots in the period, three of which were three-pointers, and capped off Ginebra’s 21-2 run with a booming triple to give the Gin Kings a 79-76 lead.

And Helterbrand did all the heroics after playing just eight minutes the whole series before Game 4, with his lone appearance coming in the opener.

He had help from his tandem Mark Caguiao, who had added eight markers, three rebounds, two dimes, two steals, and a block.

“Finally, I got to play with a little bit in a crucial game, me and Mark [Caguioa] and the rest of the guys were able to put a stamp on the game,” said Helterbrand. “It’s a blessing that we were able to help the team get the victory.”

Head coach Tim Cone praised the veteran pair for stepping up.

“That was a storybook game for Jay and Mark to do their thing out there. They were amazing.”