Import Durham tells Meralco ‘remember this feeling’ after finals loss

MANILA, Philippines – Despite winning Game 1 and going up 2-1 in the best-of-7 series after the third game, the Meralco Bolts were unable to secure the PBA Governors’ Cup title following their Game 6 loss to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on Wednesday, October 19.

The Bolts, who were up big before collapsing in both their Game 4 and 6 defeats, came up short in the franchise’s first ever finals appearance, and the team’s import, Allen Durham, wants his teammates to not forget about that feeling of losing anytime soon.

“I told the guys we got to remember this feeling,” Durham, the Governors’ Cup Best Import award winner, told the media as Ginebra was celebrating their championship near the dug-outs after the contest. “Hopefully Meralco will have me back next season and then if that’s the case, we got unfinished business.”

The 28-year-old entered Game 6 with averages of 31.6 points, 17.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists a game in the finals, but was limited to only 15 points on Wednesday. 

The Bolts now have a month to prepare for the 2016-2017 All-Filipino Conference that begins on November 20. During the Philippine Cup of the 2015-2016 PBA season, Meralco went a league-worst 1-10 and missed the playoffs.

“[The] biggest improvement is just to maintain,” Durham said about what’s next for Meralco.

“They made major improvements these last two conferences and I think they understand they don’t wan’t to just have little success and hopefully they’re hungry, and I think they are hungry.”

Going back to Game 6, Durham was complimentary of Ginebra who clinched the championship after import Justin Brownlee hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win the contest.

“Just some tough breaks down the stretch. It was really a good game. I think everybody gave it their all and like I said, it’s disappointing. Congratulations to Ginebra, they played a great season, they played a great series, and they won,” Durham said. – Rappler.com