LIGHTS-OUT SCORER AND SHOWMAN
After falling behind by as much as 22 points early in the game, many pundits expected the retooled Barangay Ginebra to fall flat in its conference opener against Alaska.
Orlando Johnson would have none of it, however.
The former Sacramento King and Indiana Pacer came undone in the second half, scoring 18 in the third quarter to ignite a Ginebra comeback and make a game out of the already deemed rout.
“We had a lot of nerves early and we were trying to fight from 15-16 points to begin with. It was tough but I like the way we competed,” said Johnson.
The NBA veteran shot 17-of-30 from the field en route to an eye-popping 50 big points that went with 10 rebounds. Johnson’s 50 markers were the most points scored by a reinforcement since 2008, the year Purefoods reinforcement Darius Rice recorded 56 markers.
Johnson admitted that he was tense at the start.
“I wanted to come out here and put on a show for the people. This is one of the most popular teams and I’m honored to be on this team,” he said. “I had some nerves, but once I calmed myself down, I was ready to go.”
Being here for only a week, Johnson believes that they are just touching the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the team’s potential.
“We’re gonna adjust. We’re learning together, still growing, and I think it’s still early, we’ll keep working and get better,” he said. “I like how quick we are. We have a lot of guys who stepped up. We got some veterans and we’ve got some young guys. We’re all learning the game and I think we’ll be fine come the next game.”
And he’s already raring to once again take the court come Sunday against Talk ‘N Text.
“I’m trying to give my best every night,” said Johnson. “I’m a scorer but I’d like to set my teammates up. I’d like to see and get them some better looks next game so we can get everybody involved and I know when we get everybody involved, we’re gonna be a tough team.” (RL)
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