He torched Ginebra with his sizzling shot-making in Game 6.
TNT Tropang Giga may have been the top seed after the eliminations of the PBA Governors’ Cup, but going up against the defending champs Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the finals was no small feat.
All series long, both powerhouse squads showed they deserve the title, and they exchanged haymakers in the process of proving their claim to the throne.
In Game 6 on Friday, the story was the same. TNT was one win away from the title, but Ginebra didn’t hand it to them. It was a dogfight at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, and the Tropang Giga needed until the last play to come out with the 97-93 win that sealed the series, 4-2, and in turn clinched the championship.
“The guys pulled up a miraculous game altogether,” said TNT head coach Jojo Lastimosa in the postgame interview. He joins the likes of Ryan Gregorio and Chot Reyes in the list of head coaches who nabbed a title in their rookie year.
The Tropang Giga, who lost key players like RR Pogoy and Justin Chua to injuries during the series, have Mikey Williams to thank.
The crafty guard showed out with a monster game of 38 points on 51% shooting, including a blistering 9-of-18 shooting from beyond the arc. He also pulled down 7 rebounds and dished out 3 assists to leave his all-around mark in the game.
Williams, who won his second Finals MVP award in this series after averaging 22.0 points, 3.3 boards, and 3.2 dimes, told sideline reporter Denise Tan that this milestone is just a result of all his hard work.
“It truly has paid off this season for me. I just owe it all to the work I put in,” said Williams, who also placed himself among TNT icons Jimmy Alapag, Ranidel De Ocampo, and Jayson Castro as the franchise's only two-time Finals MVPs.
The former PBA Rookie of the Year, however, knows it took all of the team to get this triumph. And when that win comes against a team like Ginebra, it adds another layer of fulfillment.
“We weathered a big storm. We beat a really good team, a well-coached team as well," he said. "Every time they made a big run, we came back, stayed poised and just continued to make plays.”