On the back of Perez, the Beermen survive the champion Gin Kings in a close one.
CJ Perez heaved a sigh of relief upon entering the press room at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.
It was probably the only time he could breathe properly after taking over in the fourth period, helping the San Miguel Beermen escape with a 92-90 win over Brgy. Ginebra to start their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals series.
“CJ is CJ. He does a lot of things for San Miguel. Hats off to CJ,” said San MIguel coach Jorge Gallent.
Perez dropped nine of his conference-high 26 points in the last seven minutes, the last was a turnaround jumper that gave the Beermen an 88-85 lead with 3:04 remaining.
As the points went harder to come by, it was seven-time MVP June Mar Fajardo who then sealed the victory for the Beermen, making sure to hit timely and marginal free throws.
Ginebra had a chance to steal the win in the final seconds however, but a miscommunication among Scottie Thompson, Christian Standhardinger, and import Tony Bishop led to a turnover and an anti-climactic end to an otherwise stellar back-and-forth between the two powerhouses.
Bennie Boatwright went for 23 points to go with 12 rebounds, five assists, a steal, and two blocks for San Miguel, while Fajardo poured 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Don Trollano also added 10 points, as the Beermen stretch their win streak to seven games dating back to the eliminations.
“We’re just composed. When we needed a stop, the payers did. I give all the credit to the players,” Gallent said.
Ginebra erased a late five-point deficit after Christian Standhardinger munched on a three-point play and Tony Bishop scored on short stab for a 90-all with exactly a minute to go.
But the Bishop score would prove to be Ginebra's final basket as in the waning seconds, Standhardinger would miss a jumper that would have put the Gin Kings up.
Nevertheless, the Fil-German slotman paced the Gin Kings with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists. Bishop chimed in 20 points and 11 boards in a losing effort.