Meralco’s Chris Newsome shoots a jumper during Game 3 of the PBA Governors’ Cup finals against Barangay Ginebra at Mall of Asia Arena. PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—Shackled to less than 10 points in both Games 1 and 2, Chris Newsome put on the heat in Game 3 of the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals as Meralco carved out an 83-74 win over Barangay Ginebra Sunday night at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Newsome had 20 points and 11 rebounds to help the Bolts swing the tide to their favor in this best-of-seven series.
“You know, the first two games, I’ve got to feel (the Gin Kings) out as part of the game plan,” he told reporters on his way out of the bayside venue.
“I understand that a lot of (Ginebra’s) focus is on me as one of the key players, the key matchups to try to limit. So, I got to look at the film as to how they would guard me and I was able to adjust a bit today,” he went on.
Newsome scored seven of his total output in the final frame, backstopping Tony Bishop Jr., the club’s import, and Allein Maliksi, who was scoreless the last meeting, in keeping their enemy at arm’s length down the stretch.
“My job here is not necessarily just to score but to a little bit do everything, make sure everyone’s involved, engaged, and focused on what we had to do to win. Whether that’s rebounding, assists, or points, that’s just my game and that’s what I tried today,” he said.
The 2015 Rookie of the Year hopes his performance that night would serve as a springboard for the coming games.
And that is exactly what Meralco would need if it hopes to take commanding control of the series this Wednesday.
The Bolts being up 2-1 isn’t exactly a good indicator of the club’s chances, as they were also up the same way before the Gin Kings swept the rest of the games on the way to the title during the 2016 edition of this season-ending tournament.
“Today, I had some open looks and was fortunate to knock them down, and that helped me get going a little bit and get my scoring going for this series,” he said.
“So [I] definitely expect adjustments from them. Coach Tim (Cone is) one of the greatest. I know he’s gonna come back with a new game plan and see what they can do to adjust. So we just gotta be ready for the next one,” he added.