BLACKWATER is happy with George King, and even better for the Bossing? The feeling is mutual.
The former NBA second-rounder had an explosive debut by finishing with 33 points and 19 rebounds to lift Blackwater to a 95-88 win over Barangay Ginebra.
Not only did the Bossing finally end their search for their first win of the PBA 49th Season Governors’ Cup after four games, they also snapped a nine-game losing streak to the crowd favorites.
READ: By George, Blackwater pulls off King-sized upset over Ginebra
King put on huge numbers despite only practicing once with the team, but it didn’t take long for the former Phoenix Sun and Dallas Maverick to feel right at home.
“The offense that we have, I really like it a lot,” said the 30-year-old King. “I’m very familiar with it. I’ve ran similar stuff in the past. I’m familiar with that.”
“It really just fits like a glove,” he added. “Our offense, coach are really easygoing, and they really made it simple for me, which took a lot of pressure off me as well. It just works."
It was a blessing in disguise for King, who was actually the ending in a short story about an import change under time constraints.
Blackwater decided to let go of Ricky Ledo after two underwhelming games, and was forced to play without an import in its third match against San Miguel. The Bossing were originally supposed to bring former NLEX and San Miguel import Cameron Clark, only to have him pull out at the last minute due to a family emergency.
Blackwater, and King
Bossing coach Jeff Cariaso no longer went into detail on how they were able to land their new and instantly impressive import. He was only happy that they’ve found a gem that could spell the end of their import woes early in the season.
“Things happen for a reason,” Cariaso said. “Sometimes, things don’t work out with other people and it becomes a blessing to someone else."
“The person that was supposed to be meant to be for us would be the guy who is here. So far, so good. That’s how I look at it. That’s how optimistic we were. We maintain being optimistic despite the need to replace our first import and how George got here. I really don’t care. I’m just happy that he is here."
For his part, King is feeling good about the opportunity to be in the PBA, saying he would have actually wanted it to come sooner. He also hoped that he would have come in earlier and got to prepare for the four-point shot.
Interestingly enough, he hit from longer-range twice in his debut.
“I heard really good things about the Philippines, the PBA,” said King, who also had playing experience in Italy, Poland, Germany, Israel, and Australia. “When the opportunity came, I was ready to rock. I jumped at it.”
“I wished that I’ve known about it before. I wished I knew I was coming to the PBA. I would have trained on it this summer. I would have worked on it. But that’s what I’m going to do over the next six games with the practices. It’s a tool I have in my bag for sure."
King is also glad to be part of the magnitude of Blackwater’s momentous triumph over Ginebra.
“I didn’t know (it has been) five years since we’ve beaten them. To be part of that, it feels really good, especially at this point of my career. I’m really happy to be here. I wish I was here years ago,” said King.
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