MANILA, Philippines — No tears, no finger pointing.
Instead, the Powerade Tigers and the members of the coaching staff exchanged high-fives while the management gave them a big pat on the back after their failed bid to win the PBA Philippine Cup against the powerhouse team of Talk ’N Text.
They lost heavily to the Texters, but for them, playing in the finals after nine years was already a major achievement.
“No matter what, we still need to be proud because we played in the finals,” said Gary David, who bagged Best Player of the Conference after averaging 30 points from the elimination round up to the semifinals of the Philippine Cup.
David, who averaged 31.4 points in the Finals series, fired 37 points in Game 5, which TNT won 110-101 to finally closeout the seven-game showdown, 4-1.
“Before the conference, a lot of people doubted us. Walang naniniwala sa amin. But we proved them wrong," said David.
As the eighth seeded team, Powerade stunned twice-to-beat and top seed B-Meg in the quarterfinal playoffs then beat Rain or Shine in the semis.
“This is beyond our wildest dreams,” said Powerade team governor and PBA Board vice-chairman JB Baylon. “As a co-Coke employee, I couldn’t ask for more, they make me so proud. The most important thing is we tried our best.”
“We lost to a better team. I know we’ll be better the next time,” said Powerade mentor Bo Perasol.
Source: WAYLON GALVEZ, Manila Bulletin
