San Miguel playmaker Chris Ross is not the kind that backs down from a challenge, that’s why he isn’t afraid to take the heat after the Beermen lost to TNT KaTropa in Game 4 of their Finals series in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Ross took the blame in SMB’s 102-97 defeat to TNT, which denied them the luxury of taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven showdown and a chance to close it out in Game 5 tomorrow.
Instead, it’s back to square one for the two teams with the series tied at 2-2.
“I didn’t play well enough today for us to win. I feel like I let my team down,” said Ross.
The setback of San Miguel came on the night that the eight-year veteran Ross bagged his first Best Player of the Conference (BPC) plum, scoring just eight points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field, including 1-of-5 from three-point territory in 39 minutes of action.
The defensive-minded Ross collared five rebounds, dished out four assists, and made two steals, but he had four of the team’s 17 turnovers, which the KaTropa turned to 24 points.
Ross edged out SMB teammate Alex Cabagnot and TNT’s Jayson Castro for the award.
However, the two had better performances than Ross in Game 4 as Cabagnot collected 18 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Castro came through with 17 points off the bench.
