Allen Durham vs Justin Brownlee. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Allen Durham thought for a second that his shot in the final seconds had found the bottom of the net.
As he landed on his feet at the baseline after going up for the shot with Japeth Aguilar on his way, he heard cheers.
Turns out, the jubilation wasn’t meant for the Bolts.
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“I didn’t see it,” Durham recalled. “I thought it went in and I heard people cheering.”
Durham missed what could’ve been a go-ahead basketball with 5.5 seconds remaining, giving enough time for Ginebra for a final shot.
Those crucial seconds proved enough for Ginebra as Justin Brownlee nailed a booming three over Durham at the buzzer to end Ginebra’s eight-year title search with a 91-88 Game 6 heartbreaker on Wednesday.
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“Brownlee hit a tough shot,” said Durham, still reeling from the missed opportunity for the Bolts. “They got some tough breaks down the stretch. It’s really a good game. I think everybody gave it their all and it’s disappointing for us. But congratulations to Ginebra, they played a good series and they won.”
Leading Meralco to its first franchise Finals appearance, Durham is wishing this won’t be his last stint for the budding crew as he hopes to return next season.
“I told the guys we got to remember this feeling,” he said. “Hopefully, Meralco will have me back next
season and if that’s the case, we got unfinished business.”
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Seeing the team grow through the course of the year, Durham believes that the Bolts have only just scratched the surface.
“The biggest goal for the team is to maintain this, not take steps back,” he said. “They made major improvements in these last two conferences and I think they understand it. They know how to have a little bit successes and I think they’re hungry.”