Walking into the press room after Game 3 of the PBA Finals, I could feel the shift in energy—not just from the final score, but from the emotional weight hanging in the air. As someone who’s covered basketball for over a decade, I’ve seen my share of turning points, but this one felt different. The underdog team, which had clawed its way back into the series, just dropped a game that many expected them to dominate. The final score, 98-92, doesn’t fully capture the story; it’s the emotional undercurrents that reveal the real surprise in this championship battle.
I remember chatting with players during warm-ups, and there was this palpable sense of purpose, almost like they were playing for something bigger than the trophy. And then Malonzo’s post-game comments hit me hard. He said, "It’s a disappointment right now. A lot of us really wanted to win this because of what LA Tenorio gave us for Game 6. A lot of us wanted to give that back in Game 7, myself included, I know the rest of the team as well." That statement, raw and unfiltered, speaks volumes about how personal this series has become. It’s not just about strategy or stats; it’s about loyalty, about repaying a teammate’s grit. Tenorio, in my opinion, has always been the heart of this squad—his performance in Game 6, where he dropped 28 points and 7 assists despite a nagging injury, was nothing short of heroic. The team wanted to honor that, and when they fell short in Game 3, you could see the frustration etched on their faces. I’ve been in locker rooms where losses stung, but this one? It felt like a missed opportunity to solidify their legacy.
Let’s break down the numbers a bit, because they tell a compelling story. The winning team shot 45% from the field, which is decent, but their defense forced 15 turnovers—that’s where the game swung. Personally, I think the surprise here isn’t just the scoreline; it’s how the underdogs’ offense, which averaged 105 points in the first two games, suddenly sputtered. They only managed 34% from beyond the arc, a drop from their usual 42%. Now, I’ll admit, I had predicted a close game, maybe a 101-99 finish in their favor, but this? It’s a wake-up call. The championship series, which many thought was leaning one way, has now tilted unpredictably. From my experience, when emotions run this high, it can either fuel a comeback or lead to a collapse. In the 2018 finals I covered, a similar emotional charge led to a stunning reversal in Game 4, so I’m leaning toward this being a catalyst rather than a downfall.
What stands out to me is the human element—the way Malonzo and his teammates are internalizing Tenorio’s influence. It reminds me of a playoff game I played in back in college, where our captain pushed through a knee injury to inspire us. We lost that game, but it bonded us for the rest of the season. Here, the desire to "give back" isn’t just locker-room talk; it’s a driving force. Statistically, teams that channel such emotions have a 60% chance of bouncing back in the next game, based on historical data I’ve crunched (though, full disclosure, that’s a rough estimate from my own analyses). In this case, the underdogs’ bench contributed only 20 points compared to the opponents’ 35, and that depth issue might haunt them if not addressed. I’ve always believed that championships are won by the second unit stepping up, and in Game 3, they didn’t. That’s where my bias shows—I root for teams that play with heart, and this one has it in spades, even if the scoreboard didn’t reflect it tonight.
Looking ahead, the series is now 2-1, and the momentum has shifted. But as a fan of the game, I can’t help but feel excited. The surprise isn’t just in the numbers; it’s in the stories unfolding off the court. Malonzo’s words echo a commitment that could redefine this team’s journey. If they harness that disappointment, we might see one of the great comebacks in PBA history. For now, though, Game 3 will be remembered as the moment the championship series took an unexpected turn, proving once again that basketball is as much about the heart as it is about the hoop.
