REID PROVES HIS WORTH
He is not a two-time Best Import for nothing.
Just a couple of hours after being named the Bobby Parks Best Import for the conference, Arizona Reid went bonkers and showed that his award was no fluke, exploding for 27 points after the first half to finish with 29 points, 17 rebounds and four assists to help Rain or Shine level the Finals series with an 89-87 Game 2 victory on Thursday.
The dread-locked Reid had 13 points in the third canto to compensate for his paltry first half, got eight in the fourth, and went 2-of-2 from threes in the overtime, including a pressure-packed trey at the top of the arc over the outstretched arms of Marc Pingris with 6.7 seconds to play, giving the E-Painters the victory.
“That’s why he’s the best import. He wants the ball at crunch time, and most likely he will deliver,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao. “He carried us on his shoulders in the semifinals and he’s carrying us on his shoulders right now.”
Gauiao added, “I was frustrated with him in the first half where he made just two points and three rebounds. I told him he can do better than that and he picked it up.”
Oozing with confidence, Reid said that the game-winning basket isn’t as special as it appeared, as he has been practicing these kinds of shots.
“I make a lot of those shots in practice, I make a lot in games, so I wasn’t surprised it went in at all,” he said.
“I shoot that shot ten times, hit or miss, it doesn’t matter, I’ll shoot it,” said Reid. “My teammates trust me. I want the ball in the end. I’m an import and that’s what an import is supposed to do – take the last shot. I made it, we won Game 2, and I look forward to Game 3.”
The High Point University alumnus, who is the smallest import this conference, also felt he deserved a followup to his Best Inport plum in the 2011 Governors’ Cup.
“It’s a great feeling reclaiming my Best Import award. I felt that I should’ve got it and I’m thankful I got it,” he said.
But Reid is hell-bent on accomplishing another feat, and that is to win a championship, an accolade that has evaded him in his first two trips here in the country.
“Everytime I’m here, my goal is get to the championship. My goal now is ‘I’m gonna make the best out of it cause there’s no telling when my next Finals appearance would be,’ so I’m here going all-out, helping my team get the win and the championship,” the 28-year-old said.
Reid believes that this is his best chance to cop the title, given his team’s potent lineup this year.
“Everybody’s healthy now. That’s the big thing. There’s no excuses,” he said. “Everybody’s playing with confidence and I trust them even more than last year. I give the ball to them more, I trust my teammates the same way they believe in me.”
With the titular showdown reduced to a virtual best-of-three, Reid knows the importance of getting first at the hill by winning Game 3. And he wants no let-ups come Saturday.
“We just have to do what we did in Game 1 and Game 2. We played hard,” he said.
“I’m just thankful we got the win. We’re playing physical ball and they’re playing physical ball. We’re just trying to match their intensity and come out and give what we got and hope for the best.” (RL)
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