Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
BOCAUE – It wasn’t the Christmas gift Blackwater was expecting on Sunday.
Losing a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Elite became the first team to lose to lowly Mahindra, 97-93, in overtime this 2017 PBA Philippine Cup.
And even the players were left speechless by the devastating defeat.
“I don’t know what to say. It’s tough,” said Mac Belo before politely excusing himself from the media scrum.
Art dela Cruz, meanwhile, mustered enough courage and took responsibility for the meltdown, saying, “No excuses. I’ll take the blame.”
The sophomore forward noted that Blackwater looked out of sync after taking a 79-64 lead with 7:50 to play in regulation, settling for ill-advised shots and letting Mahindra gain momentum which led to the collapse.
“We didn’t have the eagerness to win. Our shots were hurried and forced, and we didn’t follow our plays. We have to learn those experiences in endgame situations, and having a team that has a lot of rookies, we have to overcome those situations.”
Despite the setback, the Elite is still in the playoff picture at solo fifth with a 4-3 card, but the loss extended the franchise’ horrible record in overtime games, which is now at 0-6 since entering the league in 2014.
Blackwater also got dealt a pair of blackeyes after Dela Cruz and Kyle Pascual suffered shoulder injuries. The former, though, was still able to hang on and finish the game.
“Actually, I didn’t want to play anymore but the team needed me. Coach told me to just play,” said dela Cruz, who was still clutching his left shoulder as he made his exit from Philippine Arena. “Kyle’s injury also helped Mahindra set the tone for that run that reached 17-2.”
The Floodbuster finished the fourth on a 19-4 blast to tie the game at 83 before Alex Mallari took charge in overtime.
“Christmas could’ve been good to us but all of us got down. It’s tough that we’re already within the win but still lost the game. In those situations, you just have to fight.”
Dela Cruz said that the team will look at this defeat as a huge motivation for their playoff push once the action continues next year.
“Even though the opponent is strong, we have to follow our gameplan and we must not lose our confidence.”
Blackwater will next face defending champion San Miguel on January 6.