Chris Newsome embodied Meralco's battlecry, displaying self-belief to help the Bolts reach the pinnacle in a breakthrough run in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup on Sunday, June 16.
Chris Newsome showed no jitters just as he did all-series long, delivering the game-winning jumper with just 1.3 ticks left to salvage an 80-78 victory for Meralco over San Miguel in Game 6 en route to the Bolts' breakthrough title in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup on Sunday, June 16.
In the end, Newsome's efforts were rewarded with the Finals Most Valuable Player recognition.
Allein Maliksi celebrates Chris Newsome's title-clinching jumper. | Photo (c) RM Chua
"Meralco Bolts family, do you believe? Thank you so much for believing in us since day one," said Newsome who tallied 22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the Last Dance.
"Nobody believed in us but us, and I appreciate you guys for being there since day one and supporting us. Ever since I was drafted, you guys believed in me. The coaches have believed. And so, we got the job done," added Newsome in his speech.
He deflected credit to his teammates and the coaching staff after the game-winning jumper that will probably become one of the most replayed clips in the foreseeable future.
"You gotta give credit to my teammates and my coaching staff for drawing up that play. And my teammates for trusting me to take the shot," he said.
Just in case people thought it was a lucky shot, the cat-quick guard reminded everyone it was something he has worked on for the longest time.
"It's a shot that I work on all the time. I put thousands of reps into that shot. For a lot of guys out there, a lot of people out there, it may seem like it's tsamba but at the same time, it's something that I work on everyday," he said.
Before bathing in the glory of a first-ever PBA crown, Newsome and the Bolts failed four times in the Last Dance of the Governors' Cup against Ginebra.
Bolts didn't even expect to reach the summit now after a roller coaster of an All-Filipino conference. But when they started believing in each other, everything just fell into place.
"This is a special one because honestly, we didn't really think we're gonna get this far. We didn't even think we're gonna get into the playoffs," he said.
"But here we are... If you continue to work and continue to believe in what you're doing and you have trust in the organization, good things will happen eventually."
Newsome, who will join Gilas in training days from now for the Olympic Qualifying tournament, dedicate this conquest to everyone who believed in them.
"Really special for the guys that's been part of the organization since day one. Even our ball boys, our utility, some of our staff there, this is all for them," he said.
"Also, the Meralco employees. The guys that are working in the office, all the linemen that are risking their lives to have power on for us. Those are things that go unnoticed. And all we have to do is go out there and represent them."