When Nards Pinto enters a game, it might be best to pay attention.
The veteran guard has made a habit of coming in and giving Barangay Ginebra San Miguel quality minutes, and he has done it, at times, in the biggest of moments. That’s exactly what he did in Ginebra’s 110-94 victory over the San Miguel Beermen in Tuesday’s Game 5, which sealed the crowd darlings’ third semis berth in PBA Season 50.
Nards Pinto Changes the Game Again
Pinto had two short stints in Game 5 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. He first entered the game at the 1:44 mark of the second quarter, with Ginebra trailing, 53-44. He scored five points—a triple and a deuce—to help Ginebra end the first half down by only eight, 57-49.
His next stint was far more crucial—and emphatic. Pinto subbed in for RJ Abarrientos with just 1:42 left in the third quarter and Ginebra trailing by six, 78-72. When he subbed out seven minutes later, at the 6:34 mark of the final frame, Ginebra was already ahead, 97-82, after turning the game around completely.
In that span, the three-time champion scored on two lay-ins and played his familiar pesky defense, shifting the tide in the barangay’s favor alongside Scottie Thompson. In fact, their back-to-back steals and conversions completed Ginebra’s comeback from 13 down and set the stage for that swashbuckling 34-14 fourth quarter.
For Nards Pinto, that was all just a day’s work.
“Sa akin naman, basta binigyan ako ng chance, kahit na anong game pa yan,” Pinto told reporters after Game 5. “Kasi ito naman ‘yung trabaho ko. Hindi naman ako ‘yung laging nasa loob. Kapag hinuhugot, kasi masama ‘yung laro ng iba. Basta ready lang ako palagi kapag tinatawag ni coach Tim.”
He was ready in Tuesday’s Game 5. It seems he always is.
A Habit for Nards Pinto
Nards Pinto’s heroics in that winner-take-all Game 5 aren’t some one-off. He has actually made a career at Ginebra by providing that spark off the bench, especially in crucial moments.
A game prior, in fact, the burly 36-year-old veteran also connived with Thompson to nearly will Ginebra back from a 19-point deficit, only to come agonizingly short of completing the comeback. Then, back in July, in Game 7 of the Commissioner’s Cup Finals, Pinto also came up clutch, nailing a pair of triples in the fourth quarter that helped Ginebra eke out a hard-fought 88-76 title-clincher over the TNT Tropang 5G.
Those are just three instances of Pinto staying ready. He’s had plenty more in the past years while playing essentially as Ginebra’s third-string point guard.
So, yes, Nards Pinto rides the bench more than he plays. But when he does, it’s best to pay attention.
