Mikey Williams’ hot hand helps TNT clinch the 2023 PBA Governors’ Cup title. –Marlo Cueto/Inquirer.net
MANILA, Philippines—A day before the championship-winning Game 6 for TNT, Mikey Williams already knew he was going to shoot well, according to coach Jojo Lastimosa.
And true enough, the Tropang Giga claimed their first PBA Governors’ Cup title and dethroned Ginebra behind the heroics of Williams, who finished with a game-high 38 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Williams, who was named the Honda PBA Press Corps Finals MVP for his efficiency in all six games of the series, hit nine triples in the clincher including the dagger that gave TNT a 95-93 lead with over a minute left to play.
“He (Mikey) came up to me and said, ‘coach, we’re ready to go.’ He already had that purpose in him from yesterday when we talked briefly,” said Lastimosa after the 97-93 Game 6 win.
“True enough, Mikey balled out tonight. Without his 38 points, we would not survive this game.”
The Filipino-American guard poured 18 of his total points in the tightly-contested second quarter that stopped Ginebra, which led in double digits, from pulling away.
ROUGH PATCH
TNT coaches Jojo Lastimosa and Chot Reyes. –Marlo Cueto/INQUIRER.net
Williams pushed his averages in the Finals series to 22.0 points per game built on an efficient 45 percent shooting clip from beyond the arc to go along with 3.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
The second championship and Finals MVP plum punctuated a rough season for Williams, who he even got suspended during the Commissioners’ Cup for often missing practice when Lastimosa was still serving as the TNT team manager.
But the two were able to move past the hostility and figured out how to work together to help Tropang Giga reach greater heights.
WATCH: Coach Jojo Lastimosa speaks after winning the PBA Governors’ Cup title for TNT. #PBAFinals | @MeloFuertesINQ pic.twitter.com/C1ZJm1brLg
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“Mikey has come a long way. We had some rough patches negotiating with him directly and not with the agent and there was some animosity between us but we were able to talk about it. You can even see sometimes in the game, he gets mad when I sub him out,” Lastimosa said.
“It’s okay with me because I was the same way before [when I was a player], I didn’t want to get subbed out,” he added.
For the conference, Williams averaged a hefty 18.0 markers, 3.6 boards and 4.0 dimes a night for the Tropang Giga.