SAN Mig forward Joe Devance admitted he "let my team down" after his disappointing performance in Game Two but said the Mixers can't hold their head down with Game Three of the PBA Governors Cup Finals against Rain or Shine just a day away.
One of the most consistent San Mig players in the playoffs, the former University of Texas, El Paso stalwart went bust on Thursday night as he went scoreless in 33 minutes while going 0-of-9 from the field and turning the ball over four times.
The Mixers consequently dropped an 87-89 loss to Rain or Shine in overtime that levelled the best-of-five finals at one game apiece.
“I’m just disappointed on how I played offensively,” Devance told Spin.ph later. “I just didn’t show up for my team (in Game Two) but I mean, no excuses for that. I just let my team down.”
The 6-7 Devance, who scored 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting in San Mig's 104-101 win in the series opener, is well aware of the danger of giving a streaky team like Rain or Shine the momentum.
“We just gave this (Rain or Shine) team life. We know how good they are, but now, it’s up to us on how we respond,” explained the top rookie pick of the 2008 PBA draft.
“We can’t put our head down too low. We still have a series to play,” he added.
With Rain or Shine wresting the momentum in the series, Devance said grand slam-seeking San Mig can’t afford any more slip-ups in their fourth straight Finals appearance in a span of nine months.
“Now the series is reduced into a best-of-three, so that first game is always the most important game. Hopefully, we can get the next one,” said the 32-year-old Fil-Am forward.
“We just got to play hard for 48 minutes. We can’t have that excuse of being tired, or whatever excuses we could have. We just can’t put that (loss) on our heads. We just have to play hard,” he added.
Game Three is set on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
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