ALLEN Durham felt there was an obvious contact made by Japeth Aguilar when the Barangay Ginebra big man foiled a possible game-tying basket by the Meralco import in the waning seconds of the PBA Governors Cup finals series opener.
Still, the two-time Best Import can live with the referees’ non-call and let go of that crucial defensive play.
“In my opinion, I thought that was a foul. The video made it look like a foul, I mean he was all over my shoulder,” said Durham of that Aguilar play with 11 seconds left and the Bolts just down, 89-87.
“I guess the refs say he got more ball than body,” he added. “So you just got to bounce back from that.”
Durham, who finished with triple-double of 25 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists, said everything shouldn’t have come down to it had he and the rest of the Bolts shot better from the floor on Tuesday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“Personally, I got to shoot better,” he said. “I didn’t perform to the best of my ability. So I got to be better the next game.
“Our shots weren’t falling. And if a couple of those shots fall, that could kind of loosen up their defense a little bit.”
Meralco did struggle from the floor, making just 38 percent of their shots.
In contrast, Ginebra shot 44 percent from the field.
Still, Durham consoled the team that despite the woeful shooting, the Bolts almost pulled it off in the end.
“Even with the way we shot and with some of the missed plays that we should have, we still had a chance to win at the end.
When we have that opportunity, we’ve got to take it. We’ve got to be able to put that kind of game especially against a team like this,” said Durham.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
