Dropping a 30-piece was regular thing for the explosive bucket-getter back then.
Aside from El Granada, Gary David was also called Mr. Pure Energy during his heyday in the PBA. In the quarterfinals of the 2011-12 Philippine Cup playoffs, he lived up to both of his monikers more than ever.
As the eighth seed, the then-Powerade Tigers leaned on David to overcome the top-seeded B-Meg Llamados who had a twice-to-beat advantage.
In the first game, the pride of Dinalupihan, Bataan scored 32 points to lead Powerade to a 97-88 victory. To complete the upset, the scoring specialist went amok in the decider as he finished with 37 markers, including eight triples in the Tigers’ 132-123 overtime win. David put on one of the greatest performances in PBA history. Those who will disagree are asking for a fight.
Come on, he outgunned a powerhouse squad that featured the likes of James Yap, Marc Pingris, Peter June Simon, and Joe Devance. Not to mention, coached by no less than Tim Cone.
In the latest vlog of former B-Meg forward Jerwin Gaco, who was part of that B-Meg squad, David fondly recalled his signature moment in the PBA.
“’Yun ‘yung laro na breakout game ko at (kung saan) nakilala ako. Lagi kong sinasabi, ‘yung game na ‘yun ang dahilan kung bakit ako napasama sa Gilas (Pilipinas),” David said.
During the extra period in the do-or-die game, the four-time PBA scoring champion hit a booming triple to give Powerade a 120-115 lead in the closing minutes. He then ran back to the other end of the floor, looking at his hands and wondering if they were really on fire.
Aside from being named to Gilas Pilipinas later on, David also received another reward for his “nagliliyab” game, which perhaps served as another source of inspiration.
“Sabi ni (Powerade) Coach Bo (Perasol), ‘Enjoy the game lang. Bigyan lang natin ng pagkakataon na puwede tayong manalo pero enjoy the game, no pressure,’” David remembered.
“Tapos nun, nabigyan kami ng matitinding pangako. Talagang pampagana, binitawan ni boss JB Baylon (Powerade team governor). Nabigay lahat hanggang finals,” he added.
The Tigers reached the last dance of the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup but lost to the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in five games. David, had a consolation prize, as he received the Best Player of the Conference award.
(PM)