They may be good friends outside the court but Mikey Williams and Chris Ross are expecting nothing less of their best when they face each other especially with the prestigious all-Filipino Cup crown on the line.
TNT’s Williams, a flamboyant guard who took the PBA by storm with his torrid outside shooting and crafty scoring prowess, is expected to go up against SMB’s lockdown defensive lynchpin and proven leader in Ross in the best-of-seven Finals series.
Williams and Ross exchanged compliments during the PBA Finals press conference last Friday, Aug, 19, at the Novotel Manila, with the latter stressing the importance of putting the clamps down on the former who has been leading the league in scoring so far with 20.6 points per outing.
“I’ve known Mikey for a while. I know what type of talent he is even before he got into the PBA. I knew what kind of talent he is and what he is going to do when he goes in this league. He hasn’t disappointed at all,” the veteran playmaker said of Williams.
“He’s putting on a show every time out. I want him to play well, but I want us to win,” said Ross.
Facing a tough defensive player in Ross, Williams is just as thrilled as every one although the sophomore guard is also eager to showcase other facets of his game and prove that he is not a one dimensional player.
“People say, I was defended well, I think they did a great job on me but they made me pass the ball more. I’m a willing passer so I think the overall outcome of us just getting wins was most important to me,” stressed Williams who overcame Magnolia defensive backcourt of Jio Jalalon, Mark Barroca and Paul Lee in the semifinals.
“He definitely showed me the ropes and really helped me pave the way for me to understand this league. I’m really grateful and looking forward to the opportunity. That’s my guy too. It’s definitely going to be a challenging series for both of us,” he said of Ross.