The Meralco Bolts locked up the No.1 seed heading into the Oppo PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals following a come-from-behind 104-101 victory against San Miguel Beermen at the end of the elimination round on Sunday.
The Bolts’ chief backer Manuel V. Pangilinan couldn’t be happier with his squad’s feat.
“I’m happy for the Bolts,” said Pangilinan who watched the game live. “But now, the quarters and the semis are starting, so ibang laro na yun.”
But despite Meralco’s rise, Pangilinan refused to brand it as the flagship squad of the MVP group. He also bankrolls TNT and NLEX>
“I hope I don’t have to label anyone of the three as flagship. All three teams have done well this conference. We’re just bystander,” he said.
The Bolts have emerged as a serious title contender once again in the Governors’ Cup. Balik-import Allen Durham has been superb for the squad, while the addition of Ranidel De Ocampo added leadership to the team which fell short against Ginebra in the finals of last year’s tournament.
Meralco lost that one in a heartbreaking fashion as it had to witness Justin Brownlee bury a buzzer-beating three-pointer in the title-clinching Game Six.
Pangilinan, however, believes the team has a better shot this time around.
“Yes, I like our chances. I hope that shot delivered by Justin Brownlee will motivate them more this time,” he added.