Playing villain role vs Ginebra, Johnson powers Rain or Shine to victory

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net

Reggie Johnson would be the first to admit that he likes playing the role of the villain, especially against what he regarded as “the Lakers of the PBA.”

“Of course, I like it. The fans, they were against us today. I think maybe it was 90-10 today in terms of fans and I’m glad we got the win,” he said. “Once the fans were in the gym, you wanna perform well, you wanna do well. And I think we did a great job today.”

Ginebra had no answer for the heft of Johnson inside as Rain or Shine bullied its way to a 108-89 victory on Sunday.

Compared to the Elasto Painters’ first outing, the burly reinforcement wasn’t asked to do too much as the locals like Raymond Almazan, Ed Daquioag, and James Yap all had stupendous performances in the game.

“You know in the locker room just now, they thank me for drawing out the defense. Those guys was really helped me out today and didn’t let me go one-on-one.Those guys stepped up today, knocked down big shots, and made our free throws. Kudos to our team today for the total team effort,” said Johnson, who finished the game with 16 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks.

Despite the 2-0 start for Rain or Shine, the 28-year-old import believes that the team is still far from its peak form as it braces for bigger wars ahead in the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

“We’re a long way from complete. Guys are still getting used to me and I’m still getting used to guys,” he said. “There are still issues in communications and lapses on defense. Practice is very important for us, and I know we’ve got a good chance to be really special.”

“Some of you guys probably got your favorites, but we’re not gonna lay down. We’re gonna try to play for the championship also.”