Barangay Ginebra San Miguel needed a spark on Sunday against the Phoenix Fuel Masters in a must-win game. Their MVP, Scottie Thompson, delivered it to them.
The 2021 PBA MVP scored six in Ginebra’s 10-0 start to the game and finished with a conference-high 29 points on top of 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Importantly, Thompson’s all-around brilliance sparked the crowd darlings to a huge 106-89 victory that all but guarantees Ginebra’s 51st consecutive playoffs appearance dating back to the 2005-06 season.
Scottie Thompson Putting in the Work
Notably, Scottie Thompson is coming off a hamstring issue that he sustained in Ginebra’s Commissioner’s Cup championship run a couple of months ago and is still on the mend. After the game, he expressed hope that the injury is fully behind him now while also crediting the daily grind he’s been putting in as the key to his vintage performance against Phoenix.
“It was a big night for me tonight,” Thompson acknowledged. “I’ve been working hard, day in and day out, but sometimes, hindi mo alam when it shows up, ‘yung tinatrabaho mo. Luckily, right now, ‘yung pina-plan ko day in and day out nag-show up tonight.”
The three-time PBA Finals MVP is right on point. That hard work certainly showed up against the Fuel Masters—and it did so on both ends. Aside from firing a conference high, Scottie Thompson also helped put the clamps on Phoenix main man Ricci Rivero, who scored just 10 points on 3-for-7 shooting, mostly with the veteran from Padada, Davao del Sur hounding him.
It All Starts at Practice
It turns out, it wasn’t just Scottie Thompson putting in some good reps in practice. According to the Gilas Pilipinas mainstay, the entire team had been having great practices lately—and that showed up, too, on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
“We came to this game with a sense of urgency. Lahat ng players really prepared well sa practice, so ‘yung pina-practice namin, that’s very crucial,” Thompson said. “Ang ganda ng ineensayo namin sa practice. Nag-show up sa game.”
Ginebra can get a few more good practices in before their next game, which will be against the Blackwater Bossing on Friday, October 23, also at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. All the barangay needs to do is avoid losing by over 30 points to formalize its entry to the quarterfinals. But with the playoffs looming, expect Scottie Thompson and company to go all-out to notch another victory and go to the quarterfinals with some momentum.
