Scottie Thompson and the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings in the PBA Governors’ Cup Game 6. –Marlo Cueto/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines–Scottie Thompson walked out of Barangay Ginebra’s dugout with a grace reflective of how hard the Gin Kings fought in the Game 6 defeat to TNT that ended their reign in the PBA Governors’ Cup on Friday night.
“Tough series against a very tough team,” the Gin Kings playmaker said as tipped his hat to the Tropang Giga, who pulled out a 97-93 victory to put the title series to bed.
“Still, we’re proud of our team and where we are right now. This may not be the goal we wanted and we know that there are plenty of ‘NSD’ fans who are down, but TNT really deserved this championship,” he added.
Thompson, the reigning Most Valuable Player, had 20 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in the losing effort that snapped the crowd darlings’ two-year hold of PBA’s third conference.
Ginebra’s Jamie Malonzo. –Marlo Cueto/INQUIRER.net
At 29, Thompson has every reason to hold his head up high. His club, with rising stars Jamie Malonzo and Jeremiah Gray in the fold, could still scale plenty of mountains.
“Every game, every championship is different. And I think this is the best way to get a lesson learned,” he said.
“We have plenty of lessons to pick up from this series so we’re going to use this experience—even if we lost—and bring it to the next [campaign] as motivation, especially with the next season a long way to go,” he added.
The next PBA season is pegged in October this year after the league adjusted its schedule for the sake of Gilas Pilipinas and the country’s Fiba World Cup hosting.
“That’s just the way it is: there’s a winner and there’s a loser. The important thing here is we fought and we’re proud that we fought until the end,” he said.
WATCH: TNT’s Calvin Oftana and Barangay Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson exchange jerseys during the awarding ceremonies. #PBAFinals | @jonasterradoINQ pic.twitter.com/l2J8iuK1Qt
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) April 21, 2023