CHICAGO - With the series tied at 2-2 and a PBA Philippine Cup Finals berth on the line, Chris Banchero was playing his best basketball in the playoffs on Sunday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.
As he pumped Meralco's offense with 16 first-half points, the Bolts raced to a 59-44 advantage at the 7:01 mark of the third quarter.
But no lead is ever safe against Ginebra, which has made a living and crafted a legend by crawling out of deep holes, a propensity that birthed its Never-Say-Die mantra.
READ Blackwater owner urges 'Protect 10' dispersal draft to level PBA field
And sure enough, with the crowd egging them on and Christian Standhardinger catching fire like St. Elmo, the Gin Kings outscored Meralco 45-25 the rest of the way to steal Game 5.
"They made more plays than we did down the stretch. Simple enough. We have to do better in closing out games," Banchero told me via text message as he sorted out the debris of Sunday's disaster.
Ginebra has always been a thorn on the Bolts' side, owning them like a piece of property. In their last seven playoffs encounters, Meralco is just 1-6, often blacking out in the face of Ginebra's intensity.
So what's the fix for this anomaly?
"Play with more poise and determination. Game 6 is another opportunity for us to play better basketball and we are all excited," Banchero surmised.
Easier said than done against the Gins Kings' defense anchored by an old reliable - Japeth Aguilar - and the relentless C-Stan.
Whether the rest of the shell-shocked Bolts will show up for Game 6 remains to be seen. But two things are clear: CB is ready to go and he doesn't need sunglasses because the lights are not too bright for him at this stage.
At age 35, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound court general clearly has a lot left in the gas. Through five games he is averaging a healthy 13.4 points and 5.6 assists per game while shooting 41.7 percent from the field.
While he doesn't lead Meralco in points statistically, he is arguably the most efficient. Banchero, the fifth pick in the 2014 PBA Rookie Draft, will need to do more Wednesday night if the Bots were to stave off elimination.
Problem is, Ginebra seems to have already figured out Meralco after briefly trailing series 1-2.
Coach Tim Cone smells blood, throwing hints about his dislike for playing a Game 7. And that's a good thing for Ginebra Nation.
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.
