ENDURING four heartbreaks in the past decade is never easy, but not once did it dampen the morale of the Meralco Bolts.
If at all, the failures left them super-charged, more than ever, even when they only had a few believers besides themselves when they started the season.
“From where we were weeks ago, to where we are now, nobody believed in us, we were the only ones who believed that we can win a championship,” veteran guard Chris Banchero told SPIN.ph.
READ Newsome on game-winner: 'It's a shot I work on all the time’
With a personal record of 0-5 in the PBA Finals, four with Meralco and another with Alaska, this finals victory over Philippine Cup kings San Miguel, was the sweetest of all for Banchero.
“I’m lost for words, I finally got one,” he said. “Long time coming to climb that mountain and get knocked down – so many times — then climb it again, persevere and finally break through."
Banchero made that crucial pass to teammate Chris Newsome with just three seconds left in the clock, setting up the falaway jumper that ended 14 title-less years for the MVP group franchise.
This was after a June Mar Fajardo shocker of a trey trey which tied the game at 78-all with just five seconds left.
For the 35-year-old, the frantic end to Game Six was destiny.
“When June Mar hit that three, that was the loudest I’ve heard Araneta, and the first thing I’ve thought of is, how much time’s left? We had three seconds, then I made that pass to New,” the Bolts guard said.
Banchero continued: “That’s the way God drew it up, everybody thought we’re going to overtime when JMF hit that three, but then I hit New for the two and for the done. We got it."
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