PBA: Mikey Williams, TNT ready for ‘aggressive’ Meralco fightback in Game 4

TNT star guard Mikey Williams. –PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines–Mikey Williams and TNT are preparing for a tough response from Meralco when they go for the clincher in Game 4 of the PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals on Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Williams said he expects the Bolts to put up a vigorous approach they put up when the Tropang Giga suffered a 124-117 overtime loss in the second game of the best-of-five series last Sunday.

“[I expect] them [to be] aggressive,” Williams said after TNT took a 2-1 lead with a 99-80 victory.

“You see in Game 2, every time we scored, they pushed it right back in transition. That’s where they scored most of their points last game. I think we just need to be ready in transition.”

A win will send TNT to the championship series against Barangay Ginebra, which claimed the first Finals spot after sweeping San Miguel Beer in the other semis affair.

TNT produced its two wins by an average margin of 24.5 points, including a 110-80 rout in Game 1 last March 24.

Game 3 saw Williams score 29 points, redeeming himself from cooling off in the fourth and overtime periods the previous time.

Williams was draining threes during the third quarter of Game 2 before going scoreless the rest of the way.

“I definitely wanted to be more assertive in the third and the fourth,” he said. “I know last game I was assertive in the third, and I went gun shy in the fourth. And I think that’s an aspect that can help my teammates, definitely sparked them a little bit because once they see a little pick-me-up, then they start jumping on the bandwagon and start to get going, too.

“But [in Game 4], we just stayed locked in for 48 [minutes]. We almost had a couple of mental lapses in the fourth but we pushed through,” added Williams.