SAN Miguel pulled off a thrilling 95-94 come-from-behind win against Meralco Friday night that tied the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup finals at one game apiece.
Back-to-back treys by CJ Perez and Marcio Lassiter in the final 22 seconds capped the Beermen’s scrambling comeback from four points down with 27 ticks to go.
A missed free throw then a botched layup by Chris Banchero, along with a travelling violation on Bong Quinto in the waning seconds denied the Bolts of what could have been a big-time 2-0 lead in the title series.
Now, it’s a best-of-five finals with Game Three set Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Here are the takeaways in a tightly-fought Game 2 at the Big Dome.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE HEART OF A CHAMPION
The Beermen didn’t blink even after Banchero shot a cold-blooded trey for a 93-89 Bolts lead. Coming off a timeout, Perez quickly went to work and didn’t waste too much time launching his own long-range missile to cut the deficit to a point.
Nine seconds later and without a timeout, Lassiter hit a stepback three, which Perez set up. That proved to be the go-ahead basket, as the Bolts imploded in the endgame. Clearly, championship poise was in full display for San Miguel.
ALMAZAN ENDS UP SCORELESS
With his hands full defending June Mar Fajardo at the post, Raymond Almazan went scoreless. Meralco's starting center barely attempted shots, going 0-for-3, while also grabbing five rebounds.
"Rakenrol" also found himself in foul trouble once more and was forced to the bench for the homestretch, with rookie Brandon Bates finishing the game for the Bolts. For comparison, the 6-foot-7 Letran product had a productive Game 1 with eight points and seven rebounds, though he was 4-of-15 from the floor.
PEREZ DOES EVERYTHING FOR BEERMEN
The San Miguel guard finished with playoff career-high 34 points, which is also his highest output as a Beerman. He was actually 6-of-14 from the field, but was responsible for several crucial plays in the final 25 seconds. Other than hitting a trey that kept the reigning champions in the game, the onetime LPU star also assisted on Lassiter’s go-ahead three, as well as grabbed the rebound of Banchero's missed layup at the other end.
Perez missed the free throws that followed, but obviously, intentionally hit front rim for the second one in order not to allow Meralco call its final 30-second timeout and map out a possible game-winning play. And that's exactly what happened, as after rebounding the ball, Quinto was called for travelling - hammering the final nail in the Bolts' coffin.
RARE FAN EJECTION IN THE GAME
What's a common occurence in the NBA happened Friday night when a fan was escorted out of the Big Dome for cursing at Jericho Cruz during a sequence early in the fourth quarter.
READ: Jericho Cruz explains why he sought courtside fan's ejection
The tough veteran guard alerted venue security about the heckling and they acted swiftly by ushering the fan – a common fixture at courtside, according to PBA personnel – out of the venue. Cruz later said he has no problem being jeered personally, but stressed it’s a different thing when fans begin cursing at his family and children.
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