By now, PBA fans know what happened in Game 7 of the semis series between Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the San Miguel Beermen: 40-year-old Chris Ross took over, and now the Beermen are preparing to face the TNT Tropang 5G.
Only this time, San Miguel and Ross won’t only be going for a sixth PBA Philippine Cup title. They will also be trying to stop TNT’s bold quest for a Grand Slam—something the franchise achieved way back in 1989.
That’s why fans can expect an all-out war between these two mighty and proud franchises—the flagship teams of the SMC and MVP groups that have dominated the league for the past decade.
And best believe Ross will be at the center of it all after what he did against Ginebra in that Game 7 win: 19 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals along with countless big plays in the fourth quarter. It was a masterclass to say the least, but for the ever-competitive Ross, it was just another day at the office.
“I’m a competitor,” Ross told reporters after Game 7. ”Not playing in the last game [Game 6], it hurts my feelings. Then seeing LA [Tenorio] do what he did, it was super inspiring to me. I had a chat with LA before (Game 7), and told him how I felt about him, just his journey and everything that led to him doing what he did. And it really inspired me.”
Chris Ross Makes a Point to Leo Austria
Ross, one of three remaining Death 5 members (along with June Mar Fajardo and Marcio Lassiter), also bared that he had a talk with San Miguel coach Leo Austria. In so many words, Ross sent a clear and loud message to his champion coach: He’ll do whatever it takes to help the Beermen win.
“We had a talk and I told him that I’m a winner. I just want to win by any means. I don’t care how it gets done,” he told Austria. “I stepped up to the plate. I told him (Austria) that no one competes harder than me. No one plays harder than me.”
Ross talked a big game. In Game 7 against Ginebra, he backed up his bravado and walked the walk with a fourth quarter one would expect from someone so used to the bright lights of high-stakes hoops. In short, he did whatever it took to send San Miguel to the FInals. And quite frankly, the Beermen probably wouldn’t have made it without the efforts of Kapitan Ross.
Now, this winner and his team will get the chance to win another title and deny TNT its place in history at the same time.
If the rest of the Beermen learned anything from Ross and his win-by-any-means mindset, they just might accomplish both.
