By REY C. LACHICA
HANGZHOU, China – The atmosphere, and even the feeling, was electric.
One said it was one for the ages, the other described it as unbelievable and unforgettable.
There were too many descriptions.
But one thing is clear: It was the never-say-die spirit of the Filipinos that enabled them to shock the Chinese squad – once described by experts as just mighty and formidable as the nation’s famed Great Wall.
And so a miracle in this ultra-modern city happened, somehow erasing from the memory of the horror that took place during the Hanoi SEA Games two years ago.
The defeat to Indonesia was a like a pill hard to swallow.
But winning against the Chinese in the Asian Games was heaven – its magical comeback for sure will go down from one generation to other.
Just imagine the odds they conquered – they were down by 20 points at one time and in front of thousands of wildly-cheering homes fans.
The dugout atmosphere after the classic 77-76 win at the massive gym of the city was fiesta-like, everybody was jumping and shouting, And hugging, too.
“Ang saya-saya, hirap e-describe, over the moon ang lahat,” said PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial who acted as assistant to team manager Alfrancis Chua,
One insider said a player, so overjoyed with the team’s victory, chanted “Ginebra! Ginebra”
After all, it was Justine Brownlee who delivered the killing blows.
