Game 2 got away from Justin Brownlee (left)and Barangay Ginebra early. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ
Coach Brian Goorjian somewhat agreed that the monkey finally came off the backs of the Bay Area Dragons on Wednesday night when they not only tied the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals series, but also beat Barangay Ginebra for the first time since its guest participation began.
“It definitely helps,” Goorjian said following the Dragons’ 99-82 triumph that disappointed most of the 16,044 fans at Smart Araneta Coliseum and knotted the best-of-seven series at 1-1 heading into the long break.
Goorjian could only hail his Bay Area players for rebounding from a disappointing Christmas Day performance, which was the Hong Kong outfit’s introduction to how Ginebra does its thing when a championship trophy is at stake.
And by finally getting one over Ginebra after an 18-point defeat in the eliminations and a 96-81 loss in Game 1 that felt like the Grinch spoiled its Christmas, Bay Area can only boost its belief that hurdling the last obstacle in its title ambitions can be done.
“The losses mount and you’re pretty much ‘Can we beat this team?’ So yes, it did help,” added Goorjian, who hopes to come out with a game plan in the days before the series resumes on Jan. 4 at Mall of Asia Arena.
The lull will be another new experience for the Dragons, who are at the tailend of a lengthy stay in the country that began last August.
And Goorjian wants to make sure that his team can make the most of the respite.
“You gotta make it an advantage,” he said. “A week for us, which is again new to us than it is to them, and less experience. So two games, we can grow and we really got the time to freshen up and make more adjustments.
“So, I’m loving the battle, and I finish it with—I keep using the word about this whole experience—it’s just respect.”
Import Andrew Nicholson played like he didn’t dwell at the way Ginebra was applying its defense on him, and Zhu Songwei bucked early foul trouble to lead Bay Area’s convincing triumph.
Nicholson, who in a recent online interview compared Christian Standhardinger’s defense to like playing rugby, had 30 points and 15 rebounds while Zhu produced 25 points, five rebounds and six assists for the Dragons.
Hayden Blankley didn’t fire blanks this time and contributed 17 points on seven-of-10 shooting, while Glen Yang’s playmaking was also key as the Dragons seemed more accustomed to Finals basketball in this game.
“We did not complain about the referees,” Goorjian said, clarifying statements made about officiating in Game 1. “All we tried to do was figure out how the game is gonna be called and make the adjustments.
“So you go to this game, the game is about easy baskets. Offensive rebounds and putbacks and putting the team together on the foul line. Tonight, we defended without fouling. We made the adjustments according to the PBA rules of playing without fouling. And to move forward, we gotta stay on that page.”
It will be the turn of Ginebra to make the adjustments after allowing Bay Area to take control in the second quarter, forcing itself to spend the rest of the match trying to overhaul a 52-35 halftime deficit.
Justin Brownlee delivered 32 points, but it felt like the Best Import front-runner carried the team throughout as the rest of the Gin Kings weren’t consistent like in Game 1.
Scottie Thompson and LA Tenorio couldn’t replicate their vital performances from three nights ago, while the Ginebra defense had no answer to Bay Area’s shooting and Nicholson’s dominance in the paint. INQ