The B-Meg Llamados will contend for the championship again as they earned a retrun trip to the finals with a down-the-wire 74-72 win over the Barangay Ginebra Kings last night in their do-or-die showdown of the 37th PBA Governors’ Cup at the packed Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Tied at 72-all, Peter June Simon completed a putback with 2.5 seconds left to give the Llamados a two-point lead that eventually sealed the win as B-Meg arranged a best-of-seven title series with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
The title duel begins tomorrow.
“PJ was at the right place at the right time. It was big shot after big shot and big stop after big stop,” said B-Meg head coach Tim Cone, who sealed his league-leading 25th finals appearance.
Cone led the Llamados to the Commissioners Cup title in his first conference with the team.
Known as a team which thrives at crunchtime, the Kings caved in in the crucial moments of the game.
With the score knotted at 72-all, the Kings had the possession inside the final 43 seconds.
Instead of going for two-for-one possession, import Cedric Bozeman wasted time before passing the ball to Kerby Raymundo, whose three-point shot with 19 ticks left went awry.
In the next play, Marqus Blakely bungled a baseline jumper but Simon corraled the rebound and in one motion put the leather back in.
Raymundo failed in his desperation three in the game’s final play.5.154