By JEREMIAH SEVILLA
SMART CLARK GIGA CITY– TNT guard Roger Pogoy downplayed Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone’s comparison of him to PBA legend Allan Caidic.
Cone said that Pogoy reminds him of the “Triggerman” after the 28-year-old hotshot waxed hot with 34 points and singlehandedly triggered the Tropang Giga’s furious comeback from 18 points down in Game Four of the Philippine Cup Finals on Sunday night at the AUF Arena.
The Kings held on for a 98-88 win and moved on the cusp of the all-Filipino title –thanks to LA Tenorio’s clutch triples to cancel out Pogoy’s own treys.
Still, Cone was left in awe of the young Gilas Pilipinas stalwart’s streaky shooting that he compared him to Caidic.
“It’s a completely different look but the ability to get shots and shoot them with hands on your face and guys flying by you is Allan Caidic,” said the league’s winningest mentor who has 22 championships under his belt.
Pogoy shrugged off the comparison, acknowledging that he’s still far from what the PBA HAll of Famer achieved.
“Malayo pa ako doon. Mas shooter at mas magaling sakin ‘yun,” said Pogoy, who went on a 14-of-28 shooting from the field including 4-of-10 from beyond the arc.
The former FEU star has been on target in the best-of-seven series, norming an average of 27.25 points on a 45-percent field goal shooting.
The Minglanilla, Cebu native also became the first local player with more than 34 points twice in a finals series since Gary David did the feat in the 2012 Philippine Cup, according to the league’s chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III.
With Pogoy on fire, Cone jokingly refused to shake hands with him at the end of Game Four and even told him a “Tagalog swear word” in jest.
“Natawa lang ako. Ayaw niya raw makipagkamay sa’kin kasi mainit daw ako.”
