CHRIS McCullough stepped up in a big way on Sunday when he dropped 53 points in Game 6 of the PBA 50th Season Commissioner’s Cup Finals.
McCullough kept TNT's title-retention bid alive by scoring a new career-high, just a few days after his counterpart Justin Brownlee erupted for 54 points in Game 5.
Brownlee still wound up with 52 in Game 6, but it was C-Mac who came out victorious after getting support from the locals such as Jordan Heading and RR Pogoy.
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TNT coach Chot Reyes felt McCullough had a lot to prove in Game 6.
“C-Mac got tired of Justin just eating his lunch,” said Reyes during the postgame press conference.
“Another 50 piece by Justin… but C-Mac was able to stay in step with him. I think that’s basically the key,” said Reyes.
McCullough got off to a strong start with 20 points in the first half and maintained it in the next half, exploding for 16 points in the make-or-break fourth quarter.
A four-pointer by one-time PBA champion import allowed TNT to break free and give his team a 94-86 lead with under two minutes to play in Game 6.
McCullough added 22 rebounds in a performance that set the stage for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
“Just want to come out and be aggressive, take my shots, not shy away,” said McCullough. “I’ve been missing a lot. (But) I’ve been doing it for 12 years. I know how to do it. I’m just happy that we stuck with it and played good defense.”
McCullough said Brownlee’s career night in Game 5 had nothing to do with his own explosion in Game 6.
“Honestly, he does that all the time,” said McCullough. “It’s regular. My motivation in the team was bigger than basketball.”
McCullough was referring to Ateneo players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili, who passed away after a drowning incident in Aurora last week.
“For me, it’s the two kids that lost their lives and never got the opportunity to do this. That was my motivation,” said McCullough.
But after his career night, McCullough was the first to admit that the big offensive showing in Game 6 will not mean anything if they don’t win the decider on Wednesday.
“The job isn’t finished,” he added.
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