After so many heartbreaks in the past, Meralco guard Chris Newsome won’t let the chance to eliminate Barangay Ginebra slip away from their hands in Game 2 on Friday, July 29.
Newsome and the Bolts are eager to finally put an end to the string of futility against the Gin Kings who have dealt them a 6-0 beating in head-to-head matchup in the playoffs, including a 4-0 record in their finals clashes.
“I do not think we’re trying to avoid Ginebra at all whenever it comes to a playoff series. I think everyone here wants a challenge. Until we can overcome that challenge, I think it is just nice that we can just keep battling them,” said Newsome.
The Bolts made a huge step towards the right direction in accomplishing that goal when they visibly outplayed the Kings en route to a 93-82 series opening win. Newsome was at the forefront of the attack with 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists while the likes of Aaron Black and Allein Maliks also made their presence felt with 25 and 17 points, respectively.
“I look at this as another opportunity to overcome and climb that mountain and the rest of the guys feel the same way. We’re always going to be hungry to battle Ginebra,” he stressed.
“Of course, they’ve got the fans, they’ve got the sixth man, and of course they’re a championship team. That is what we want to be. We want to be a championship team. To be a championship team, you’ve got to beat the best, and I think that is what we’re here to do.”