Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — For a couple of days now, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Asian import Kim Jiwan revealed he has been suffering from flu.
And it was evident at least in the first two quarters of their crucial match against the NLEX Road Warriors as he went gun-shy, going scoreless in 24 minutes of action.
But off halftime, he didn’t look like one.
The Korean gunner caught fire in the second half, dropping 16 points to help the Gin Kings hammer out a rousing 110-107 victory over the Road Warriors on Wednesday (June 24) at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
“I was struggling in the beginning because I was having cold for a couple of days now so I had a bad shooting in the first half,” the Korean reinforcement said through an interpreter.
Related: Ginebra clinches last playoff spot with win over NLEX
With a the last playoff spot at stake, Jiwan played through flu and delivered just when the Gin Kings needed more firepower especially from long range.
“But I just stayed confident in myself and fought through flu. Fortunately, I made my shots in the second half,” said the reinforcement, who shot four three-pointers on his way to 16 points.
In fact, he uncorked a crucial triple in the dying minutes when the Gin Kings was staging a spirited run that allowed them to pull off the comeback.
With the win, Ginebra clinched the eighth seed and the right to face the league’s top team Alaska Aces, who hold a twice-to-beat edge in the quarterfinals.
But Jiwan believes Ginebra can pull through despite being the underdogs heading into the playoffs.
“To be honest I don’t really care who the opponent is because we have great players and coaching staff. It’s just a matter on how we’re going to stick together and build up on team chemistry,” he said.
“As long as the fans are coming over to watch and support us we are not afraid to take further step in the playoffs.”
