By REYNALD MAGALLON
Bay Area displayed its full might and dominated San Miguel Beer, 114-95, to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-five semifinals series in the 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the PhilSports Arena on Friday, Dec. 1.
The Dragons made sure to not commit the same mistakes in Game 1 where they trailed big in the first half, embarking on a 10-3 finishing kick in the second quarter that allowed them to build a double-digit spread which they never relinquished until the final buzzer.
Kobey Lam, after making the go-ahead basket in the series opener, continued to wreak havoc, dropping 10 of his 25 points in the third quarter when Bay Area did enough to keep a rallying Beermen at bay.
Andrew Nicholson also provided inside presence for the Dragons with 34 points and 16 rebounds while Zhu Songwei and Glen Yang added 13 points apiece as Bay Area moved a win away from making it to the Finals of the mid-season conference.
Not even the return of head coach Leo Austria who missed the last five games of the Beermen, could save the Beermen from falling to the 2-0 hole as they struggled to put the clamps down on the Dragons in the defensive end.
Bay Area, just like in the first game, started out flat as SMB quickly raced to a 17-9 lead. Lam, though, spearheaded the Dragons who unloaded a 19-9 run in the final five minutes of the opening frame to take the lead, 26-25.
PAUL LEE RISES
Failing to make the big shots in the end game of Game 1, Paul Lee came through with the biggest basket, a floater at the buzzer and off a broken play to help Magnolia escape Ginebra, 96-95 in Game 2 of their own best-of-five semifinals.
With the Kings up by one with 5.1 seconds left, Lee showed nerves of steel as he kissed his game-winning floater off the glass after a botched play that saw the Kings break the initial play of the Hotshots.
Lee actually wanted to go to Calvin Abueva who was cutting through the baseline but the pass was tapped by Japeth Aguilar. The ball bounced back to Lee’s hands who then went for the shot that helped Magnolia equalize the series, 1-1, – much to the delight for the Hotshots faithful and the dismay of the legion of the Kings fans inside the venue.
“Nagconcentrate ang ako dun sa tira ko di ko na inisip kung may time pa ba, kasi kapag minadali ko yung tira ko inisip ko kung aabot yung tira mas lalong di magiging maganda yung tira ko,” said Lee who was crowded by his teammates after making the clutch floater.
“Sakin kung abutin ng shot clock, abutin ng shot clock, thank God enough lang ‘yung time na maitira ko yung bola ng mas maayos,” he added.
Lee finished with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field while import Nick Rakocevic made up for his Game 1 ejection with a solid outing of 23 points and 20 rebounds. Jio Jalalon added 15 points while Calvin Abueva added 10.
Despite the splendid performance from the Hotshots, they still found themselves trailing for the most part of the contest, although they managed to keep themselves within striking distance.
It was a nip-and-tuck affair in the third frame with both teams simply trading big shots after big shots as the Kings tried to protect a precarious two-point lead, 90-88 with 2:37 to go in the game.
First Game
MAGNOLIA 96 – Lee 24, Rakocevic 23, Jalalon 15, Abueva 10, Barroca 8, Sangalang 6, Ahanmisi 5, Dionisio 3, Dela Rosa 2, Corpuz 0, Wong 0.
GINEBRA 95 – Brownlee 34, Pringle 17, Thompson 12, Tenorio 8, Malonzo 7, J.Aguilar 6, Standhardinger 6, Mariano 5, Pessumal 0, Gray 0.
Quarters: 27-32, 51-50, 73-78, 96-95.
Second Game
BAY AREA 114 – Nicholson 34, Lam 25, Yang 13, Zhu 13, Blankley 11, Liu 10, Ju 4, Zheng 2, Reid 2, Song 0, Ewing 0, Si 0, Liang 0.
SAN MIGUEL 95 – Fajardo 35, Lassiter 15, Scott 14, Perez 13, Manuel 9, Romeo 5, Brondial 2, Zamar 2, Enciso 0, Ross 0, Cruz 0, Canete 0.
Quarters: 26-25, 52-42, 80-66, 114-95.
