Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
Joe Devance was understandably hard on himself after Ginebra’s huge endgame collapse which led to San Miguel’s 104-102 overtime win in Game 2.
But it’s not because of the five-second inbound violation with 15.2 seconds left that led to the Beermen’s the last shot in the extra period, but rather, a confluence of missed opportunities which could have leveled the series to one game apiece.
“[The inbound violation] was a crucial part of the game, but that’s breaks of the game. I messed up on that turnover. I should’ve just lobbed it up to give ourselves a chance,” he said.
“I have a next play mentality. We could have gotten the stop. If anything, I was more mad at the little lay-ups I missed and the stuff that could’ve avoided us from being in that position.”
Devance finished with 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists in the game, but shot 4-of-11 from the field, missing several attempts from close range, including what could have been the game-clinching hook shot at the end of regulation.
OVERTIME! #PBA2018 pic.twitter.com/earLAZVvGX
— Randolph B. Leongson (@RLeongsonINQ) March 11, 2018
It was a heartbreaking loss but the Fil-Am forward knows that at the end of the day, Ginebra is still the underdog in this series.
And it’s up to them to live past those misconceptions and prove that just like in its 100-96 eliminations victory, it can topple the giants and score the upset despite facing a 0-2 series deficit.
“They are a great team. They will be considered as one of the best teams ever in the history of the PBA,” Devance gave praise to San Miguel.
“We have our task cut out for us and it’s going to be tough to beat those guys. But the series isn’t over. We got a good game plan, but we just got to get better at it. Come Tuesday, we will come out of here and fight.”
Game 3 is on Tuesday at Mall of Asia Arena.