Bay Area plays just the right Dragons to clip Kings and tie title series

Bay Area Dragons refused to let the best emotions of them there and took the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup Finals back to the terms of the level with the courage of Game 4 victory pulled out without importing Andrew Nicholson.

“I thought our guys were brave and they were fearless tonight,” said Goorjian after the Dragons bucked Nicholson’s presence to stun Barangay Ginebra, 94-86, before 17,236 fans at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Forty-eight hours after the Game 3 meltdown that upset Goorjian and asked Hayden Blankley and import reserve Myles Powell to take shots at officiating through social media, the Dragons let the game speak despite the odds being stacked against them.

Even after Ginebra, which was in a festive mood before the start when Justin Brownlee won the Best Import award and Scottie Thompson was named the Best Player of the Conference, retreated in the second quarter to lead by 12 at one point and 46- 38 at the half.

Kobey Lam, who has shown glimpses of offensive prowess throughout the conference, had the best game at the most important time as he sizzled for 30 points built in eight threes, including some in the fourth quarter that killed any hope of another Ginebra comeback.

Carry

Zhu Songwei and Glen Yang also produced for the Bay Area, but perhaps the most important are the two players who fill the void left by Nicholson – out with a swollen left ankle – in the pivot as Goorjian, whose rotation in the series has been short, used a mixture right 10 people who got the job done.

Duncan Reid came up with eight points and eight rebounds in 30 minutes, while 7-foot-5 Liu Chuanxing also had the same number, much to the frustration of coach Tim Cone and Gin Kings.

“I can’t remember angrier than I was after the last game,” Goorjian said after Bay Area blew a seven-point lead in the final four minutes that allowed Ginebra to steal Game 3 with an 89-82 victory.

“So I kept talking to the media and the team, gathered my thoughts, and went to the bunker knowing that we didn’t have Nicholson. So we had to bring it,” said Goorjian. “We have to play with defensive presence and we have to move the ball.

“I’m proud of the young team that played in a game like this and competed and got a win. I’m really proud now,” he said because the focus will now be on the most important Game 5 on Sunday in the same place where the winner won one win without crown.

Still not sure

Nicholson, who did not play after being seen in colored clothing and a protective boot, during the day, gave Goorjian and the ward some hope that they could return. But Goorjian had no chance to bring back Powell, who was also out with an injured leg.

But the way they played minus the former NBA player sent a strong message that Bay Area can still be a team to be reckoned with moving forward.

Ginebra got 24 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists and four steals from Brownlee on the night he won Best Import Plum for the third time, while Thompson had 18 points, five rebounds and six assists.

But the Gin Kings this time who could not protect the lead as the Dragons, led by Lam’s shooting and timely awakening by Blankley after missing the first 11 shots, plus the presence of Liu and Reid, turned the tide and left the partisan fans. euphoria of the end game-agitated and disbelief.

“We were outworked,” Thompson lamented in Filipino when he left the dugout.

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