LA Tenorio is grateful to have the support of the whole Barangay Ginebra San Miguel squad after bouncing back from a pair of late blunders the last time with a key performance in the series-clinching win over NLEX in the PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals.
Tenorio was one of five players in double figures with 14 points as Ginebra punched its ticket to the finals by defeating the Road Warriors, 112-93, before more than 10,000 fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
His performance may not be as glaring as the 47-point explosion of import Justin Brownlee, but it was enough for Tenorio to finally put to rest the misery of his costly turnover that led to NLEX import Cam Clark’s go-ahead basket and the decision to score a layup instead of trying a game-tying three in the 86-85 loss in Game 3.
The Ginebra floor general said that while he was not an emotional wreck in the aftermath of the unbelievable ending, his teammates were quick to have his back.
One particular teammate was Brownlee, who personally told Tenorio that he would make up for the disastrous finish three days earlier.
“Basically, he carried us in today’s game,” Tenorio said. “Tinupad niya lang yung promise niya sa akin last game na, ‘Don’t worry about it. We’re gonna win next game.’ Yun lang yung sinabi niya sa akin. He did it for us.”
With Brownlee carrying most of the load, and almost everyone playing second fiddle, the Gin Kings pulled away in the third to take the fight out of the Road Warriors and secure a third finals appearance in the last four conferences.
“We rallied together coming to this game knowing what happened to us with that incident that happened,” he said.
“I’m thankful for my teammates, the whole team. They really supported me. They guided me especially right after the game, and then the next day in practice. Laking bagay na ganun yung team, together.
Tenorio also said a talk with San Miguel Corporation sports director Alfrancis Chua also helped him get back into what needs to be done.
“Honestly, after kong natulog wala na, tapos na after talking to Boss Al, actually. He talked to me really heart-to-heart about it. After that, I’m okay,” Tenorio bared.
“Sabi nga niya dapat ang sinabi ko raw sa interview ‘I f____ up.’ Ganoon daw dapat sinabi ko. Well, it happened. As a vet, di mo na dapat talaga dadamdamin yun, and you’ll carry it into the next game. He trusted me. The coaching staff, and the players really trusted me that I’m gonna come out this game to lead pa rin itong team na to going to the finals.”
With NLEX out of the way, Tenorio can now focus on what needs to be done to complete Ginebra’s fifth title under coach Tim Cone as the team prepares for either Magnolia Pambansang Manok or Meralco in the finals.
Tenorio was one of the reasons why Ginebra overcame being the sixth seed to reach the title series, and his performance could dictate how the team’s title chances will play out.