CHRIS Ross gave CJ Perez some comforting words after a missed free throw proved costly in San Miguel's 96-92 Game 6 loss to Meralco that tied their PBA Philippine Cup semifinals series at 3-3.
As one of the leaders of the team, the 37-year-old Ross tried to lift the spirit of the prolific wingman out of Lyceum by stressing the Beermen are all into it, win or lose.
The San Miguel captain remains confident about Perez despite his struggles from the floor, where he shot 4-of-17 for 23 percent.
[See: Meralco comes back from the dead in Game 6]
Perez was 4-of-6 from the foul line, including missing the second of three throws in the final 10 seconds that left the Beermen still trailing, 92-93.
“CJ has been great for us all conference and he’s been great for us the entire series. One game doesn’t define him, one possession doesn’t define him,” said Ross of Perez.
“But I know he’ll bounce back.”
Ross said the Beermen lost the game by allowing the Bolts to come back from an early 16-point deficit and a 90-80 advantage with 4:23 left to play behind the heroics of Aaron Black.
In his own words, San Miguel ‘just stopped playing.’
“We were not getting stops, we were not making baskets. We just relaxed a bit,” said Ross about the loss that levelled the best-of-seven series at 3-3.
Again, he emphasized everything was on them.
“It’s a team game. We know one person doesn’t lose a game, one person doesn’t win a game,” said the Fil-Am guard. “We’re all in this together. We win as a team, and we lose as a team. That’s the message I said to the guys.”
The do-or-die Game 7 is set Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.