SCOTTIE Thompson took his late benching in Game Four in stride, saying he trusts coach Tim Cone’s judgment after Barangay Ginebra’s 94-85 loss to San Miguel Beer on Friday night that moved the Beermen on the cusp of closing out the title series.
After hauling down three boards and dishing out one assist early in the fourth quarter, the sophomore sensation came out with eight minutes and 27 seconds left and the Gin Kings down by 10, 82-72, never to return.
“Ganun naman talaga minsan,” Thompson said after the game. “Stick lang kami sa game plan ni coach. Nangyayari naman ‘yun. Wala, wala akong ano (reklamo)…kasi maganda rin naman ‘yung depensa nung mga nasa loob.”
After all, the Gin Kings managed to came to within seven points, 92-85, with a little over a minute left after trailing by as many as 26 points, before folding in the end.
[See Bal David not giving up on Kings in face of 1-3 deficit: 'Dyan naman magaling ang Ginebra']
Thompson, though, admitted he was a bit surprised not getting recalled as it was Mark Caguioa who saw extended minutes and finished the game at the two-spot, tallying three points on 1-of-7 shooting, six boards, one assist, and one steal in almost 16 minutes.
“Nagulat rin,” Thompson said. “Pero at least, alam ko naman ‘yung gagawin ni coach Tim. Talagang yung mga nasa loob, maganda yung defense nila. Bwinenas lang rin talaga ‘yung San Miguel down the stretch.”
Thompson put up another all-around performance with seven points on 3-of-8 shooting, a team-leading 10 boards, seven assists, and one steal against two turnovers in 31 minutes as a starter, although he scored just two points in a first quarter where the Beermen went off to a hot start that set the tone for the win.
“Mahirap pag San Miguel nauna,” Thompson said. “Mahirap silang habulin. Kahit anong gawin namin, may sagot agad sila. Lesson learned sa amin ‘yun na dapat good start kami palagi. Para down the stretch, may mailalabas pa kami.”
“One game at a time lang kami,” he added. “Susubukan namin makuha ‘yung Game 5. Alam namin an mahirap pero gagawin namin ‘yung best namin. Hindi namin iisipin kung ano pa ‘yung ibang mga pwede mangyari.”