San Miguel Beer’s June Mar Fajardo, all of 6-foot-10, towers above Barangay Ginebra’s Joe Devance (left) and Scottie Thompson during Game 2 of their PBA Philippine Cup Finals on Sunday at Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City. —Pba images
LUCENA CITY—Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone was adamant that the lopsided loss in Game 1 will not define the series for his Gin Kings.
Two nights later, he got his response and more from his proud and resilient squad.
The Gin Kings took San Miguel’s best punches, before responding with a late knockout blow of their own to hammer out a thrilling 124-118 overtime win and level the 2017 PBA Philippine Cup finals at one game apiece at the jampacked Quezon Convention Center here Sunday night.
In a game that had all the trappings of a classic, the Gin Kings wasted a 26-point lead, forced overtime with a buzzer-beater from Joe Devance, before surviving another late flurry by the Beermen, who stayed in the thick of the fight even with the early dismissal of Marcio Lassiter.
Scottie Thompson capped his gamelong brilliance with a layup that gave the Gin Kings a 4-point lead, 122-118, with 55 seconds left in overtime, before Sol Mercado’s jumper sealed the deal for a Ginebra squad that averted a stunning collapse.
The sophomore guard finished with 18 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists in 44 minutes of action for the Gin Kings, who got off to a strong start, a far cry from their opening quarter performance in the 82-109 defeat to the Beermen on Friday.
Devance followed up his own miss as time expired in regulation for 110-all. The Beermen thought they had completed the biggest comeback in PBA Finals history, but officials counted the basket upon review of the play, drawing a loud roar from the crowd.