Back to square one

Norman Black put it as plainly as he could: “We have a series now, guys.”

Executing well under numbing endgame pressure, Meralco scored an 85-83 nipping of Barangay Ginebra that squared the PBA Governors’ Cup title series at 2-2 at Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday night.

Clearly, the win gave the Bolts momentum with the series now down to a best-of-three.

“It was a game we had to win,” Black said inside a packed press room while seated beside Baser Amer, one of the heroes down the stretch.
“We knew that losing this game and going 1-3 down would be very difficult.”

Amer hit a triple with 76 seconds remaining which made it 83-81 for Meralco. He was scoreless in Game 3.

Import Allen Durham was the other big performer for the Bolts, shooting 10 points in the fourth period, including the marginal layup off a tight Reynel Hugnatan pass.

Ginebra had a chance to at least forge extension, but the Kings on the floor failed to call a timeout with under 20 seconds left that could have given coach Tim Cone the chance to draw up a good play.

“Our players just couldn’t see us,” Cone said, referring to his entire staff that was trying to get the attention of their players.

Black’s biggest concern now is how to get his players fresh for Game 5, set Sunday at Philippine Arena in Bulacan, especially Durham, who is averaging more than 44 minutes in the series.

“He’s probably tired, there’s no question about that, but he’s driven to win. ” Black said of the Best Import awardee.

Ginebra import Justin Brownlee had 34 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, but missed Ginebra’s last shot which could have necessitated overtime.

Earlier, San Miguel Beer’s June Mar Fajardo scooped up a fourth straight Most Valuable Player award after just five seasons in the league.

The 27-year-old Fajardo said he wants more championships for San Miguel, which failed in its Grand Slam bid after losing to Ginebra in the Final Four.

“In winning championships, everyone is happy,” said Fajardo. “I’m the only one who gets a bonus for winning the MVP.”