THE AIRASIA Philippine Patriots came through in crunch time as they downed the Bangkok Cobras, 84-78, to claim the first semifinals berth in the Asean Basketball League last Wednesday at the Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.
With reigning Best Import Nakiea Miller playing his best along with some inspired efforts from the locals, the Patriots turned the game around in the second period and held their own down the stretch to log the victory—their 13th in 15 outings.
The win gave Air Asia an outright spot in the best-of-three semifinal round.
Miller struck with two decisive forays with less that two minutes left —a reverse lay-up and a baseline spinner—that all but took the sting out of the Cobras, who dropped to 7-9 (win-loss). The 6-foot-9 Miller also shone defensively in the closing seconds as he forced Ratdech Kruatiwa to launch an ill-advised three-point shot that missed its target.
Miller finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds for his 10th double-double performance as the Patriots gained much-needed momentum heading to their much-awaited clash with the San Miguel Beermen, who are responsible for the two setbacks of the Patriots.
Anthony Johnson supported Miller with 22 points while Bogart Raymundo and Aldrech Ramos chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio