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Was it an air ball or a perfectly timed pass for an alley-oop that clinched the game for TNT Friday night?
Import Glen Rice Jr., swore that yes, his crucial basket from underneath came off a pass from equally flamboyant teammate Jayson Castro.
That basket gave the the Texters a 116-114 lead over Rain or Shine in the last 10.6 seconds which TNT protected on the way to a semifinal berth.
“It’s a pass, I guess,” said the son and namesake of the famed NBA superstar amid post-game debates. “He just happened to find me open.”
As it turns out, he was probably just being nice to Castro, touted as Asia’s best point guard.
For the record, Castro, said it was indeed a brick.
On his way out of Smart Araneta Coliseum, and just after paying homage to the large crucifix near the exit, Castro admitted to reporters he took an attempt at the basket.
“It was an air ball,” said Castro in Filipino. “But before that play, I signaled Glen to go underneath and be ready for rebound.”
At any rate, Castro said they are happy to put the quarterfinal struggles behind them.
“We must be ready because we are in for a tougher assignment,” said Castro referring to the semifinal matchup against Barangay Ginebra.
They begin their own best-of-five series on Monday also at the Big Dome.