Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
For Marcio Lassiter, San Miguel already fought too hard just to let go in the clutch of Game 2.
Forcing overtime and a given one last chance to steal the game in the final seconds, Beermen coach Leo Austria went to Lassiter to make the game-winning play.
Lassiter went left and drew the attention of Ginebra guard Scottie Thompson before quickly flicking the ball to June Mar Fajardo, who was wide open near the basket.
.@TheSMBeermen’s Marcio Lassiter talks about that game-winning play in OT. #PBA2018 pic.twitter.com/EB1tm5l8HF
— Randolph B. Leongson (@RLeongsonINQ) March 11, 2018
“Coach drew it up. We wanted to get some action in for the pick-and-roll and I just kinda saw June Mar roll. I’m surprised he’s open, honestly. I thought they were going to switch but they didn’t.” he shared after lifting San Miguel to a 104-102 win for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven semifinals series.
Lassiter could have just let Fajardo do his thing but he had the presence of mind to follow the play and when the four-time PBA MVP overshot his lay-up, the sweet-shooting swingman was there to beat the Gin King defenders to the ball and tip what would be the game-winning bucket with 3.2 seconds left.
“I found June Mar and I just knew I had to finish the play. If ever they did any switch, he might have gotten a block or something. I just wanna be there just to tip it in, and that’s what happened,” he said.
Here’s that game-winning play! #PBA2018 pic.twitter.com/UVX34O0BVd
— Randolph B. Leongson (@RLeongsonINQ) March 11, 2018
That basket capped Lassiter’s amazing night, where he went 4-of-9 from beyond the arc to finish with 25 points. He also collected eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Lassiter noted that the grind out nature Game 2 had is a perfect microcosm on how tough this duel is for the Beermen as they continue their quest for a four-peat.
“Every game is gonna be hard and we came out working extremely hard,” he said. “We give credit to Ginebra for they played extremely well in the first half. A lot of guys stepped up for them and it took us a while to figure out what they’re doing.”
“But in the second half, I think our defense actually picked up a lot. We kinda dictated the tempo a little bit. From there, we were able to make some shots. Our pressure led to some turnovers, their turnovers led to some easy offense for us and it was good that we kept it close throughout the whole game.”
Lassiter has been a lethal weapon for San Miguel so far in this series, averaging 21.0 points on 45 percent shooting from three, alongside 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
“I just want to read the defense of Ginebra. I always want to play well and I want to continue to play team ball, just play our brand of San Miguel ball,” he said. “We know we have a great match over at June Mar in the post so we want to continue attacking, and just play and keep being aggressive.”