PBA Commissioner’s Cup: Powell leaves bench to power Bay Area Dragons to victory, forces decisive Game 7 in finals
- Dragons level finals series against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel at Philippine Arena in Santa Maria, one of world’s largest indoor venues
- Their 87-84 Game 6 triumph is powered by 29 points from Myles Powell, who silences the home fans
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The Bay Area Dragons survived some late scares to take the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup finals to a decisive Game 7, with Myles Powell powering them to an 87-84 win on Wednesday.
Their Game 6 win over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel at the hostile Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City sets up a winner-takes-all decider on Sunday.
After leading by as much as 12 points midway through the third quarter, the Dragons trailed by seven just two minutes into the final quarter, as Ginebra opened the fourth with a 9-0 run.
And while Hongkonger Duncan Reid scored his only basket of the game to start a 17-9 run for the Dragons, it was American import Powell, who despite the reservations of head coach Brian Goorjian, carried his team to victory.
“Myles was not ready,” Goorjian said. “He had not done anything under his legs. But Myles was saying he wanted to play. I certainly want him to play, too. Yet I did not want to risk his health and I told him that.
“I had exhausted bodies on the floor. What we did and how we played to stay with Ginebra was exhausting. And Powell was not in the condition to walk to something like that. His will and incredible spirit were shown.”
Powell, who had not played since November 23 because of a torn ligament in his left foot, drained five three-pointers to finish with a team-high 29 points. The former Philadelphia 76ers guard also had seven rebounds and three assists to his name.
“I did not know we were going to win,” Goorjian said. “I did not know he was going to make the plays he made. If he was not there and if that spirit was not there, we have got no shot.”
Powell, who has yet to lose a game this season, said if his team had been going to lose he just “wanted to be out there with my brothers”.
“I had my brothers’ back, and I just put it in God’s hands, and we came out on top,” the 25-year-old said.
Wednesday’s win was impressive, considering the Dragons ruined Ginebra’s title celebration party in front of some 22,361 screaming fans.
But with the deciding game to be played at the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena in Santa Maria, a record-breaking gate attendance for the PBA could be on the cards.
“We need to stay poised especially playing in front of 50,000 people, it will be the craziest crowd for anyone on our team including coach Goorjian,” Glen Yang, the Dragons’ point guard, said.
The current PBA attendance record of 54,086 fans was set in Game 7 of the 2017 PBA Governors’ Cup finals between Ginebra and Meralco. The game was also played at the Philippine Arena, which saw four-time champions Ginebra winning 101-96 to clinch their second title.
While Yang shook of an injury to return after sitting out Game 5, scoring 10 points in the process, Canadian Andrew Nicholson is not expected to recover from the ankle injury he sustained in Game 3.
