SAN Miguel sharpshooter Marcio Lassiter said Tuesday there's a reason why he hasn't been hitting those threes. The opposition, he said, has been guarding him like a leech, denying him touches and this has affected his production.
Lassiter entered Sunday’s game with 1-of-7 from threes including an 0-of-1 clip in Game 2 and going 0-of-3 in Game 3. But on Sunday, he apparently freed himself from TNT's tight guarding and knocked down not just one but two threes, with a four-pointer to boot in Game 4.
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In San Miguel’s 105-91, he was 2-of-3 from downtown to eventually finish with 10 points, his best offensive game of the finals series. He also made his only four-point attempt of the night, his second conversion from that spot this conference.
Lassiter was glad to finally make threes not because he is struggling this series but because TNT has been preventing him from receiving touches, at all cost.
“It’s just what the defense gives me. If you’ve been watching the first three games, Talk ‘N Text doesn’t want me to shoot. It was clear and simple. I don’t take too many threes the first three games because of that. They are going to limit my three-point shooting,” said Lassiter.
TNT’s strategy to guard Lassiter tightly, however, did not produce the desired result. San Miguel, with its deep bench, found other shooters, such as Jericho Cruz, and has posted a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven Philippine Cup finals.
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“They want other guys to score. Just like with Jericho, they like to go under the screen and he is making them pay. I’m proud of him,” Lassiter said.
Despite TNT’s ploy, Lassiter is still getting his minutes with an average of 18 per outing, saying that San Miguel coach Leo Austria still wants him on the court.
“That’s their strategy. I have to sacrifice my shots and look for different openings like what I did (in Game 4). But in the first three games, they are just denying me the ball. I can’t do much if I’m denied. Coach wants me to still give me the ball. There’s other ways I can help like spacing the floor out,” said Lassiter.
With the title now within grasp, the 38-year-old Lassiter said his bid for his 11th title in the PBA will remain a difficult one.
“Both teams need four wins, that’s the goal. We know it won’t be easy. Talk ‘N Text is playing extremely hard, making it difficult for us. We just have to come out prepared, listen to coach, there are turnovers that could have been cleaned up to prevent those runs. They can make big runs,” said Lassiter.
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