RENALDO Balkman said he is surprised with how many open looks Chris Ross got in Game Three of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals.
Ross was on fire on Friday in Game Three, tallying 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting from threes as the Beermen romped to a 132-94 win over the Gin Kings.
Balkman said Ginebra must make adjustments in defending Ross for the next games, or the Kings will pay for it dearly, as seen in Game Three.
“I’m going to tell you right now, they got to figure it out,” said Balkman. “They’ve got to stop leaving him open because he’s going to be deadly from that three-point line.”
“If (they are) going to keep him open, I told him keep on shooting and he’s going back tomorrow and practice some more. Keep leaving him open. Keep leaving him open and he’s going to knock them down,” said Balkman.
Ross agreed he was given by the team the license to shoot, especially after taking just one shot in Game Two.
“I only took one shot. I prepared for that yesterday (Tuesday). I took lots of shots. I knew that they are going to challenge me to take shots. I just stepped out there and shot with confidence,” said Ross.
“I knew we were shooting the ball well early and my teammates kept passing me the ball. I was open. I just kept shooting. Even if I missed a few in a row, I kept shooting, kept shooting, kept shooting,” Ross added.
Balkman said he is no longer surprised with the shooting prowess of Ross in the series, as he encourages him to shoot in the series.
“That’s why we practice. I put him on the side and told him, ‘If they going to leave you open, shoot.’ He has been working on his shot. Practice makes perfect. And it shows he’d been working,” said Balkman.
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