It was an epic series that deserved no less than an epic ending.
The end-game play was designed for Ginebra’s designated closer Stanley Pringle, time down to 14.5 seconds. The Bolts may have read the play so the ball went to Prince Caperal, who unselfishly tossed it to a waiting Scottie Thompson positioned just behind the arc at the left corner.
It was all swoosh at the net despite Bong Quinto’s outstretched arms to block the attempt , and that winning 3-point shot with only 0.6 seconds left pegged the score at 83-80, the same score for Game 4.
The dramatic win thus dashed the hopes of the Bolts for a first Philippine Cup finals appearance, and pushed the Gin Kings to their own finals stint against TNT Tropang Giga.
The Tropa earlier dismantled an overachieving Phoenix Super LPG crew with a grind-out 91-81 win to become the first finalist for the 2020 Philippine Cup being held at the Angeles University Foundation (AUF) Sports Arena and Cultural Center in Angeles, Pampanga.
After an emphatic 3-point shot by Reynel Hugnatan that tied the count at 80-80, coach Tim Cone sued for time and designed a play intended for their go-to guy Pringle. However, the double team closed in so Pringle had to give up the ball to Caperal who, even if he had an open look, decided to pass it to Thompson.
The shot was somewhat reminiscent of the 2016 Governors’ Cup Finals, where an inbound pass to the Gin Kings’ then-import Justin Brownlee resulted to a 91-88 win for the crowd favorites and their first crown in 8 years.
Pringle topscored for the Barangay with 22 points and 8 boards, while Scottie Thompson booked a double-double with 20 markers, 12 rebounds and 7 dish-offs.
Chris Newsome had 15, followed by Cliff Hodge and Bong Quinto with 14 markers each.
The first game of the 2020 Philippine Cup finals will be held tomorrow, November 29, 2020. Game time is at 6 p.m.
(Photo credit: pba.ph)