Finalist MVP Scottie Thompson. PBA . PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone had nothing but praise for keeper Scottie Thompson, who capped his stellar meeting with the Finals Player of the Year plum.
There was no doubt in Cone’s mind that Thompson deserved all of his accomplishments at this conference, winning Player of the Tournament and his second PBA Final MVP since the 2018 Commissioners Cup. .
The PBA’s multi-title coach once again likened Thompson to former Alaska player Johnny Abarrientos, who was one of the league’s greatest bodyguards.
Your MVP in the Finals, Scottie Thompson! #PBAFinals pic.twitter.com/CGEMDgpaaa
– PBA (@pbaconnect) April 22, 2022
“Well, is there a more deserving player? I mean, all the things he does for us, defensively, offensively, across the board,” Cone after saying Ginebra’s 103-92 win over Meralco in Game 6 on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“I have a lot of history, I have 30 years of experience, so I wanted to compare. And, again, it’s very similar to what Johnny Abarrientos used to do for us. He plays great defensively, he can counter-attack great for a defender, and he’s a great man of the game. And he never gets tired, and he always hustles, never gets tired. That’s the big thing about Johnny, he never gets tired.”
Cone won nine PBA titles with Abarrientos from 1996 to 2000.
Thompson, who averaged 17.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists, claimed his sixth PBA crown with his 24-time PBA champion coach.
“When I was a young coach, I used to force our boys to do really hard exercises, and Johnny would do the hard work and look at me and smile while he do it and laugh. And everyone else died, but not Johnny,” Cone shared.
“Scottie also never gets tired. We played with him 47 minutes and about 35 seconds in a game, I just couldn’t get him off the floor. ”
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