It was a masterful Game 2 for the Dragons. And leading the way was Zhu Songwei.
The Bay Area Dragons breathed blanks in Game 1. They breathed fire in Game 2 to tie these Finals, and no one was as fiery as forward Zhu Songwei. The silky-smooth Zhu started out flaming hot, scoring 10 points in the opening quarter alone en route to 25 total points — 17 in the first half.
Zhu’s scoring typified the Bay Area’s improved offensive efficiency — 50% shooting from the field and 23 assists — and more than made up for his foul-plagued 12-point series opener. His playmaking, this time all game long, also unlocked the rest of the Dragons, particularly import Andrew Nicholson, who finished with 30 points on an efficient 11-of-21 from the field. Zhu himself got Nicholson easy looks early, routinely flashing to the top of the key for high-lows that Ginebra could not seem to figure out in the first half.
Ginebra never did figure out Zhu in Game 2, as his aggressive playmaking gave Bay Area that much-needed second option to at least give Nicholson some space to operate. This is more crucial on a game that saw lead guard Glen Yang and Kobey Lam struggle again on the field.
But more than scoring, Zhu embodied a more rugged, more physical, more forceful Bay Area that kept beating Ginebra to the punch.
“We just want to stay locked in, keep executing on the floor, and make sure we play as we’ve been working on in practice,” Zhu said post-game, as he deflected credit for his strong game.
Indeed, these Dragons, so meek and flustered in Game 1, were locked in for Game 2, and they brought the fight to the Gin Kings this time around. And no one hit harder than Zhu, who leveled both Scottie Thompson and LA Tenorio on separate plays — the first while hunting down the reigning MVP on a mismatch at the post and the second while fighting over a Tinyente screen.
Zhu’s hit on Tenorio got him whistled for an offensive foul and a technical thereafter after resenting the initial call. But that sequence demonstrated the kind of no-back-down mentality Zhu played with and the mindset the Dragons will need to have to win this series.
They will also need Zhu to play this well three more times.