Pingris caps amazing year with finals MVP award
Thriving under duress in pressure-packed games certainly brings the best out of San Mig Coffee forward Marc Pingris.
And that’s precisely what the 6-foot-5 power forward proved anew Friday night when he summoned whatever was left in his tank in leading the Mixers to an epic 87-77 victory against the Petron Blaze Boosters for the PBA Governors Cup title at the jampacked Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Fighting through a nagging foot after sustaining a sprain in their 88-99 defeat two days ago, Pingris showed up with fire in his eyes as he scored the Mixers’ first six points and served as a defensive anchor throughout, finishing with eye-popping numbers of 19 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks.
That proved to be enough for the Pozzorubio, Pangasinan native to be named the Finals MVP, his second citation after also helping the Mixers, then known as the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, win the 2006 Philippine Cup crown against Red Bull (currently Barako Bull Energy Cola).
More than those stats, Pingris provided the hustle and energy throughout, somehow mimicking his courageous effort in the Gilas Pilipinas’ epic victory over archrival South Korea in the semifinals of the 27th FIBA Asia men’s cage championship last August.
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“He was all heart,” was all San Mig Coffee head coach Tim Cone could say of his prized power forward, who posted game-averages of 12.5 points, 8.5 boards, 3.0 assists and 1.5 blocks during the seven-game series against the Boosters, led by towering rookie June Mar Fajardo.
Pingris also backstopped import Marqus Blakely in the Mixers’ decisive 9-2 windup, coming through with three points–all from the charity stripe–plus a huge block against Petron’s versatile import Elijah Millsap, virtually securing the deal for San Mig Coffee inside the last 30 seconds of play.
“I tried not to think about my sprain in Game 6. I just thought about the game. When I got here, I said to myself, 'I hope God is with me'. Thank you to all who prayed for me. To the fans, you gave us our strength.” said a teary-eyed Pingris in Tagalog as his teammates whooped it up from behind during the awarding ceremonies.
Pingris also singled out Cone for believing in him.
"He (Cone) sacrificed a lot. I love that guy even though he always gets mad at me,” he stressed. “I need a break. It's been tiring.”
And Pingris will rest after he celebrates yet another championship.
