RR Pogoy expressed his confidence that TNT’s prolific scorer Mikey Williams will bounce back and deliver in the all-important Game 7 of their Philippine Cup Finals series against San Miguel on Sunday, Sept. 4.
Pogoy and the Tropang Giga failed to close out the series in Game 6 and while the Cebuano shooter did his part with 31 points, the same couldn’t be said for Williams who was limited to just two points on a measly 1-of-13 shooting from the field including a 0-of-8 clip from beyond the arc.
It was a huge blow to the Tropang Giga’s offensive game especially that they were missing the services of star guard Jayson Castro who went down with an ankle injury in Game 5.
“I know Mikey magba-bounce back talaga 'yan. Babawi talaga 'yan si Mikey sa Game 7. I know Mikey. At sana makalaro na rin si kuya Jayson,” Pogoy said of his backcourt running mate.
With Castro out and Williams not in his usual self, Pogoy tried to carry TNT on his back but was not enough against a powerhouse San Miguel team which also caught fire from the distance to force a winner-take-all with a 114-96 win in Game 6 last Friday, Sept. 2.
“Hirap talaga kung wala si kuya Jayson talaga. Kailangan talaga natin si kuya Jason. 'Yun nga nagstep up talaga ako kasi wala na eh. Wala nang ibang mag-step up. So 'yun medyo nag buwakaw onti pero gano'n talaga, minsan gano'n eh,” said Pogoy.
One of the most consistent players of head coach Chot Reyes throughout the series, Pogoy also played down another explosive night, saying that he's only benefitting from the attention Williams has been getting against SMB defenders.
Outside the 31-point effort in Game 6, the FEU standout scored more than 20 points in the first four games, and 14 in Game 5 which proved to be enough to take the lead in overall scoring in the conference, previously held by Williams.
“Siguro dahil din dinodoble nila si Mikey eh. Tapos zone offensively, aggressive lang talaga ako kung ano ibibigay nila sa akin, aggressive lang talaga ako kasi nasa isip ko rin gusto ko rin talaga manalo ng championship ulit eh. Kasi nafeel ko 'yon last season gusto ko rin talaga manalo,” explained Pogoy.