Barangay Ginebra San Miguel moved a win away from winning the PBA Commissioner’s Cup after beating the TNT Tropang 5G in overtime on Friday in thrilling fashion.
Ginebra is up 3-2 in this series even with one of its top players, Scottie Thompson, having an up-and-down showing marked by foul trouble in nearly every game. Being foul-plagued has limited the one-time MVP’s production and impact, and after Game 5, he could only credit TNT for making life difficult for him.
“Ang ganda ng scheme ng Talk N’ Text. They have been attacking us, so ako naman, bahala na lang basta as long as aggressive pa rin ako makipagbakbakan ako sa depensa,” Thompson told reporters in the aftermath of Ginebra’s 100-95 win in Game 5.
Defending Even in Foul Trouble
In Game 5, Thompson again couldn’t escape foul trouble, in part because the man he’s assigned to—RR Pogoy—has been having himself a great championship series. Shadowing Pogoy early, the 10-year veteran committed two quick fouls and ended up with five as he played the final few minutes one foul away from being out of the game.
Even so, Thompson didn’t stop fighting and still wound up with 6 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals while playing good, honest defense—on Pogoy mostly and against Jayson Castro, Jordan Heading, and even Calvin Oftana and Rey Nambatac.
“Kung mag-foul, ok lang, kung hindi, better,” Thompson added. “But siyempre down the stretch crucial na yung kailangan maka-depensa ka ng maayos kahit foul trouble, so ayun, wala talagang lalaban na lang.”
Thompson battled all game long and even got two crucial saves on the TNT baseline that gave Ginebra important possessions. And in a game where the shots weren’t falling for the former MVP, that was all he could do—battle like the Scottie Thompson fans have come to know and love.
