It is time we take a look at how Bay Area extended this series into a Game 7.
The dust has settled fully on an epic Game 6 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals. With Game 7 rescheduled for Sunday, we have more than enough time to digest what happened in the last and what could be in store for the final one.
But let us start with how the Bay Area Dragons forced Sunday’s winner-take-all Game 7, to be held at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
They started out strong
The Dragons made it known early they were going down swinging, setting the tone with a strong first half. Playing well early seemed to embolden these young Dragons, who played with confidence and irreverence even when Ginebra snagged the lead in the fourth.
They kept their cool
Bay Area could have packed it in when Ginebra opened the fourth with nine unanswered points to take a 73-66 lead. But, as Tim Cone pointed out, these Dragons don’t get rattled, and they proved Cone right in Game 6. They regrouped, kept playing Bay Area basketball, and pulled it off in the end.
They rode Myles Powell
The Power Man made a case he is a super import himself, dropping a team-high 29 points for Bay Area, including 12 in the final eight minutes of Game 6. In the words of Dragons coach Brian Goorjian, Powell “willed” Bay Area to victory.
They dared Ginebra’s locals to win Game 6
Bay Area saw Justin Brownlee carry Ginebra almost to the finish line. The Dragons did not let him cross it, trapping the three-time Best Import and forcing him to give up the ball in the final six minutes. Brownlee did, but his teammates could not make open shots.
If anything, Game 6 appears to be the perfect template for Bay Area to finish off what would be a most amazing comeback.
Can they do the same things in Game 7?