THE heartbreaking loss of Phoenix to Barangay Ginebra obviously had an extra sting on import Paul Harris.
The 35-year-old Harris stayed at the Araneta Coliseum floor long after the Fuel Masters had left the venue to take extra free throws in the aftermath of the team's 125-121 overtime loss to the Kings.
Harris missed a big free throw in the final seconds of regulation that could have iced the game for Phoenix, and likewise committed a turnover that set the stage for the Kings’ comeback in the homestretch.
'I let the team down'
Those blunders, he admitted, will definitely haunt him in the next few days.
“That hurts. I felt like I let my team down. If I made both free throws, we’ll be up by four, and If I didn’t commit the turnover with about 15 seconds left, I passed it to Chris (Banchero), it was intercepted and (they) scored. So that was just a tough one,” said Harris on his way out of the Big Dome after taking around 100 free throws after the game.
“I wanted to really win. I wanted to win that game so bad. We came up short, but that was just a tough, tough loss. I don’t know how I’ll be able to sleep.”
Harris could only split his free throws in the final four seconds of regulation that gave Phoenix a 114-111 lead, before LA Tenorio hit the game-tying three that send the game into overtime.
Prior to missing his foul shot, the Phoenix import also turned the ball over with 16 seconds to go in regulation that led to an Arvin Tolentino basket as the Kings cut what was once a five-point Phoenix lead to 112-111.
In all, Harris’ stats line read 26 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three turnovers, and a 5-of-8 shooting from the foul line.
While the loss will surely haunt him for a while, the Phoenix import said moving forward is the next best option.
“You have to have a quick memory loss in able to bounce back. I am a positive person and I like to stay positive in everything I do,” Harris said.
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