ISAAC Go did not need any added motivation as he played his best game in a Ginebra uniform since being traded from Terrafirma two years ago and subsequently being sidelined due to a knee injury.
Go was a revelation off the bench for coach Tim Cone and Barangay Ginebra, firing 14 points as the Gin Kings took a convincing 104-95 win over the San Miguel Beermen in Game One of their best-of-five PBA Governors Cup quarterfinals.
The former Ateneo Blue Eagle helped stretch the floor on offense for Ginebra while also having a hand in containing nine-time MVP June Mar Fajardo who was limited to just three points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field.
READ: Murphy turns Jordan-esque as Ginebra stuns San Miguel in opener
For Go, there’s no bigger motivation than going up against the best not only in his position, but the entire league.
“It’s always a pleasure and an honor to play not only in the quarterfinals but against San Miguel and June Mar,” Go said.
“How often do you get the chance to play the GOAT of your league? I’m just grabbing every opportunity to go up against him,” he continued.
“You have to be at your best and sometimes your best may not be enough because he’s the GOAT, di ba? 10,000 points, how many thousand rebounds, the list goes on and on. We’re just really going to try and do our best against him.”
To stop a GOAT, Isaac turned to Jordan
While Go has faced Fajardo in a playoff series several times before, perhaps the biggest difference is how he has the perfect sparring partner this time against the gentle giant from Cebu.
The arrival of the very physical Jordan Murphy has helped Go shape up for his eventual match-ups with Fajardo, stating how their game plan in stopping Fajardo was perfected during their practice sessions — with Murphy playing Fajardo’s dominant post-threat’s role.
“Just helping us get ready for June Mar, you’ll see he’s very physical inside. He has post work,” Go said of Murphy.
“Of course he does not have the size that June Mar presents but just getting used to the physicality and being disciplined, cause as coach Richard [del Rosario] said, [defending June Mar] we really have to stick to the game plan and in practice, we practice it and having the caliber of Jordan Murphy really helped us.”
Go’s continuous rise will be huge for Ginebra especially if they want to continue to hang with the Beermen inside the paint — something the team’s struggled with in their past playoffs match-ups.
“Malaking bagay talaga siya. We need size. Especially playing a team like San Miguel. Maganda naman kay Isaac, he isn’t the most athletic player but he uses yung utak niya to play,” Ginebra assistant Richard del Rosario said.
“That’s a big lift for us. He follows the game plan to perfection. And he continued nung second half.”
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