Marcio Lassiter is more focused on the Beermen’s title bid than he is on his chase of a cherished league record. —PBA IMAGES Frosty for most of Friday night, San Miguel Beer marksman Marcio Lassiter came through in the final moments of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals, bailing the much-fancied Beermen out from what would have been a 0-2 hole against hard-fighting Meralco. Despite a 1-for-7 shooting going into that final play, Lassiter hit a step-back triple from the left wing with 13.
2 seconds remaining to give the Beermen the lead. It turned out to be the basket the defending champions needed to ultimately level the best-of-seven championship series to a game apiece. “We just knew if I get to my spot and just read the defense—that was all I really needed,” he told reporters on the heels of the 95-94 escape act fashioned out before a decent-sized crowd at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
“Anytime I can get a good look and see the rim, I really feel like I [can hit it]. I’ve done it a few times before so I just tried to stay poised,” he added. Lassiter is a holdover of San Miguel’s fabled starting unit dubbed the “Death Five.
” Him, Chris Ross, along with reigning Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo are all shooting for their 11th PBA crown. Teammate Jericho Cruz believes that winning so much in the past has sharpened Lassiter for such clutch situations. “They’ve been here long enough.
They’ve been in the league for quite a while. I bet we can n.
