Barangay Ginebra San Miguel looked dead in the water in the fourth quarter of Game 6 and headed for vacation already. But longtime captain and multi-titled point guard LA Tenorio did something about it—something drastic, something that would’ve made the forefathers of never say die proud.
With Ginebra down 80-71 to the San Miguel Beermen at about the midway point of the final frame of Game 6, LA Tenorio simply took over, orchestrating the Ginebra offense, fighting on defense, and hitting one big bucket after another—as he has done so many times already in his illustrious career, made. His first three cut San Miguel’s nine-point lead to six, 80-74. His second knotted the count at 83. His last gave Ginebra an 88-87 lead and the win.
Just like that, at the ripe young age of 40, LA Tenorio added to his legend—and helped Ginebra live another game. And for the Gineral, his heroics was him simply living through the moment, soaking it all it and doing what he has done all his years in the PBA: come up big at the biggest moment.
“You never know what’s gonna happen. The next day, the next week, I may not be playing anymore, so you never know,” Tenorio told reporters after Ginebra’s pulsating victory over San Miguel on Sunday. “That’s why what I’ve learned with Coach Tim [Cone] throughout the years even with Alaska, you live through the moment. Just stay in the moment, just focus on what’s in front of you, and that’s what I did the whole game.”
Indeed, LA Tenorio lived through the moment, and this series is going the distance because of that.
Rookie Jitters Hit LA Tenorio, But Big-Game Genes Come Through
While it was business as usual for LA Tenorio in Game 6, he admitted post-game that he ‘felt like a rookie’—albeit a 40-year-old, battle-hardened one.
“Honestly, I felt like a rookie again, shaking going to the scorers’ table because as a rookie, you want to make something happen. You want to help the team right away, make an impact. That’s what I felt, honestly going to the court even though I’ve been playing for 20 years now,” Tenorio acknowledged.
He may have felt like a rookie, but it certainly didn’t show. He was cool, calm, and collected the second he stepped on the floor, as if he knew exactly what Ginebra needed at every turn. Chances are LA Tenorio really does know whatever it is Ginebra needs at any point in time, largely because he always stays engaged even as he has taken to sitting out games lately.
“‘Yung energy that I bring to the team, dinadala ko ‘yun. It doesn’t matter if I play or not, I’m always there,” Tenorio said. “I’m always engaged in the game, and Coach Tim knows that.”
Cone knows of course. Tenorio has been his court general his entire time with Ginebra and for several years with Alaska. So, he definitely knows that El Tinyente is always invested in the team, in the games, in the grind.
LA Tenorio came in engaged versus San Miguel. And now this hard-fought series is going the distance.
Ginebra fans can only hope for an encore.
