FROM high to low.
That’s the quick emotional turnaround Robert Bolick had to undergo following the formal ouster of NLEX in the PBA Philippine Cup with a 101-94 loss to defending champion San Miguel on Christmas Day at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
READ: June Mar, San Miguel hammer final nail in NLEX's coffin
The Road Warriors getting eliminated in the quarterfinals came almost a week after Bolick won his first Southeast Asian Games gold medal, as Gilas Pilipinas retained the men’s basketball title with a 70-64 win over host Thailand in the capital city of Bangkok.
“Ang sarap ng feeling na mag-gold tapos katapat mo (defending) champion. Ang hirap,” said Bolick of the situation he had to face upon arriving from the SEA Games campaign and play in a do-or-die for the Road Warriors in the playoffs.
NLEX lost its last three outings in the eliminations, including the last two without Bolick, to bow out in the running for a Top 4 finish and twice-to-beat bonus in the quarterfinals.
The top gunner said it was imperative for the team to go to the playoffs holding the twice-to-beat advantage.
He lamented the costly loss the Road Warriors against lowly Terrafirma early in the eliminations, 97-91, then an overtime setback against Converge, 107-95, in a game they led majority of the way.
“Ang dami naming opportunity na mag twice-to-beat. Napag-usapan nga namin yung mga dapat kaya naming talunin, dapat doon pa lang, pakamatay na kami. Importante sa amin talaga yung twice-to-beat,” recalled Bolick.
Unlike them, according to Bolick, the Beermen can afford to have a win-twice disadvantage in the playoffs with the kind of firepower they have led by nine-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, who had 26 points, 23 rebounds, and six assists, and Don Trollano, who scored 15 of his 17 points in the third quarter when his side blew the game wide open.
“Hindi kami kagaya nila (Beermen). Sila pwede sila, kaya nilang tumalo kahit sino,” said Bolick. “Ang hirap. Hindi namin ma-stop si June Mar.
“Pero at least, lumaban kami.”
Bolick finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists in the Road Warriors’ final game in the season-opening conference.
Berto goes for gold
Now that NLEX is on season break, Bolick has a longer time to savor his SEA Games gold medal.
“Iba yun. Hindi ko makakalimutan yun. Pinaghirapan rin yun,” he said of his first-ever stint with the national team in the biennial meet.
“One of the best experiences sa buhay ko na hindi mapapalitan.”
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