The TNT Tropang 5G are off to Game 7 in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals thanks mainly to Chris McCullough, a late replacement for the injured Bol Bol.
In Game 6, with the Tropa’s backs against the wall, CMac erupted for a PBA personal-best 53 points, including 16 in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter alone. He shot 20-for-36 overall and added 22 rebounds while playing all but three minutes and guarding Justin Brownlee for most of the second half.
Been There, Done That
In short, McCullough gave a performance for the ages in an elimination game. Afterwards, CMac stressed that he knows what to do in this situation, which is probably why he didn’t seem all that impressed by his legendary outing in front of over 22,000 fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“I just wanted to come out and be aggressive,” McCullough said after TNT’s 98-90 victory in Game 6 on Sunday. “I’ve been doing this for 12 years, so I know how to do it.”
Indeed, the former Brooklyn Net looked like a man who knew what he was doing out there—especially down the stretch.
After Ginebra retook the lead at 80-78, McCullough grabbed it right back by sinking a triple. He followed it up with a lay-in and an assist to Kelly Williams to extend the TNT lead to 85-80. Then, he hit an absolute dagger—a four-pointer from straight away that extended the Tropa’s lead to 94-86 with under a minute left.
And that was it.
Extra Motivation for McCullough
It also turns out that the 31-year-old former champion with the San Miguel Beermen was playing for something else entirely in Game 6: he was offering it to Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili, two young hoopers who tragically lost their lives in an accident.
“My motivation was bigger than basketball. It’s the two kids who lost their lives and never got the opportunity to play on the big stage. That’s my motivation,” McCullough acknowledged. “It’s bigger than basketball. We dedicate these to the two kids who lost their lives. It’s more than basketball.”
Needless to say, CMac’s homage to Baterbonia and Adili came at the perfect time—and on the biggest of stages no less.
