Mikey Williams put on quite a performance in TNT’s series-opening rout of Magnolia Pambansang Manok in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals after dealing with shooting woes in the semis.
The rookie guard dropped 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting and was a major reason why the Tropang Giga sustained their hot start in the contest that ended with an 88-70 win over the Hotshots.
“I just wanted to come in and be aggressive and just try to pick and choose my spots, just continue to do what I’ve done all year,” said Williams, who highlighted his impressive finals debut by making five triples.
READ: TNT rookie Mikey Williams braces for tough grind vs Magnolia's Barroca, Jalalon
Williams was coming off a hard-fought semifinal duel with San Miguel Beer in which he shot just 32 percent from the field.
Guarded by premier defender Chris Ross all series, the fourth pick of this year’s draft dealt with shooting clips of 3-of-12, 5-of-16 and 3-of-14.
He saved his best for last in Game 7, going off for 20 points despite an 8-of-21 shooting but made most of those shots during a first half pullaway that helped TNT advance to the finals with a 97-79 victory.
Coupled with his Game 1 showing, Williams is feeling confident of continuing that good run of form while also trying to put TNT in a good position to win it all.
“It’s definitely a confidence boost,” he said. “My up and down play in the San Miguel series, just trying to come in and continue to assert myself as best as I can to help my team at the end of the day.
“This is a team game. I’m just gonna continue to do what I can and just pick my spots when I can. But coaches are giving me the freedom to play my game, so it’s making my job a lot easier, and that’s confidence in itself. So I just have to continue to build and continue to work and get better every single day.”