FALLING 0-2 WASN’T AN OPTION FOR REID
After dropping Game 1 of its best-of-five semifinal series in the 2014 PLDT Home Telpad PBA Governors’ Cup against Alaska, Arizona Reid didn’t want to drop another game which would drop Rain or Shine in a 0-2 hole.
“It’s a playoff series. We knew we had to come out and play hard. Going down 0-2 is not an option in a best-of-five series,” he said.
Feeling the sense of urgency in this pivotal Game 2, the dread-locked Reid started like a house on fire and set the tone for the rest of his teammates as he scored 20 first half points to pace the E-Painters to a 50-38 halftime advantage.
Reid finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds, as Rain or Shine equalized their series.
“I was happy that we were able to tie the series at 1-1, and hopefully, we get to win on Tuesday,” he said.
Though it seems that scoring is one of his biggest assets, Reid said that he’s just doing the things his coach and his teammates need him to do.
“When my teammates need me to score, I score. When they need me to play defense, I play defense. I’m not trying to win the scoring title, I’m trying to get to the Finals and win a championship. Whatever my team needs me, I’m gonna do it,” the 6-foot-4 forward said.
It was also a tougher game for Reid as the team missed the services of Gabe Norwood, who sprained his left foot in Game 1 and was forced to sit out the night’s game.
“It’s tough because I need to guard (Henry) Walker,” Reid said. “I got to burn a lot of energy on defense, and then come down and score, which is very difficult. But this is my job. They paid me to do this so I have to do what I got to do.”
When asked what the E-Painters need to do to get the advantage on Game 3 on Tuesday and possibly inch closer to the Finals, Reid just said that they need to “play hard.”
“We need to play at the intensity that we are doing in this game. If we get the same intensity (on Game 3), we’re good. I felt like we came out flat in Game 1, and we were better in Game 2 with a lot in our minds. I’m just thankful that we came through and got the win.” (RL)
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