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The phrase “breaks of the game” were thrown a lot during Beau Belga’s impromptu press conference after Rain or Shine lost to TNT 118-114 in the quarterfinals of the PBA Governors’ Cup.
From missed shots to bricked free throws, every thing fell under “breaks of the game,” but there was none bigger than the Elasto Painters’ final offensive set.
A miscommunication episode between Belga and import J’Nathan Bullock erased Rain or Shine’s hopes of advancing to the semifinals and that’s something the power forward regretted deeply right away.
READ: Rice, Castro deliver as TNT survives Rain or Shine for semis berth
“Coach Caloy [Garcia] said the play was for J’Nathan to attack the defense one-on-one and I will sag off outside for a jumper,” said Belga in Filipino Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. “I was surprised when he made a drop pass instead of a kick-out and I was already too far away from the rim.”
“My momentum was going to the corner and if the pass was in my direction, well who knows? Maybe we could’ve had a chance.”
Rain or Shine trailed 116-114 in the final 10 seconds of the game after Glen Rice Jr. tipped in Jayson Castro’s missed triple and the Elasto Painters had that much time on the clock to force a tie or go for the win.
The Elasto Painters decided to shoot for the tie with Bullock supposedly connecting with Belga but the pass went awry and that mistake ultimately doomed Rain or Shine.
What made it more painful for Belga was that he was confident he could have made the game-tying jumper to force overtime.
“I felt lucky during the game,” said Belga who finished with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting. “Just one chance but the pass was off and I tried to chase the ball but I was already too far away. If the pass was directed to the corner, maybe we could’ve made a surprise shot.”
“So yeah, what happened were just breaks of the game.”