Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
On Sunday, Marcio Lassiter finally exorcised the demons of his first Finals defeat in the PBA.
The sharp-shooter was just a spunky upstart in the league when he emerged as one of the key contributors in Powerade’s Cinderella run back in the 2012 Philippine Cup.
However, that didn’t come with a happy ending as Talk ’N Text beat them in five games to claim the championship.
Lassiter had to watch the Tropang Texters revel and he kept that image in his memory as he hoped one day to be on the other side.
“I always had that on my mind,” said Lassiter.
He finally got his revenge as San Miguel finished TNT in six games for his fifth professional title.
Lassiter went 5-of-13 from three for his best game in the 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals in the 115-91 Game 6 closer of TNT.
“It definitely came at a great time,” the 30-year-old sniper said. “I told myself it’s only a matter of time. I had some bad shooting performances but I knew that won’t make it who I am. I’m a shooter so I kept on shooting, just want to stay true to the work I put on the gym. I worked so hard to be in this position. I just need to trust my teammates and trust my shots.”
Lassiter, though, clarified that redemption is just a small part in his motivation heading into the Finals, noting that firsty priority will always be the team.
And he believes the biggest reason why the Beermen are reaping is because of their camaraderie like no other.
“We’re a family. We’re so close to each other, we look after each other, and we win or lose with one another,” he said. “We built this camaraderie, we fight for each other and we sacrifice. We understood years before we got into this position that we can’t do it ourselves and we soul-searched way back, but at this point, it’s all about being together, sharing and chemistry, teamwork, believing each other.”