MANILA, Philippines – Meralco guard Jimmy Alapag did not think twice when asked if he would exchange the all-time three-point shooting record for a win over Barangay Ginebra in Game 2 of their 2016 PBA Governors' Cup Finals series.
"Oh, absolutely," the "Mighty Mouse" said without missing a beat.
Alapag became the PBA's all-time leader in three-pointers made when he drained the 1,243rd triple of his career at the 4:29 mark of the second quarter of Game 2. He was honored at half time, but as it turned out, the historic triple would be his lone field goal of the ball game.
Throughout his chase of the three-point shooting mark, Alapag has consistently paid tribute to the man whose record he broke, "The Triggerman" Allan Caidic.
He did so again on Sunday, stressing that Caidic "will always be the greatest shooter our country has ever seen."
"I'm just honored to be in the same conversation when you talk about some of the best shooters in our league's history," he said.
His historic moment also came in a defeat: the Bolts ended up losing the contest, 79-82, and the Gin Kings tied the series at 1-1. Alapag missed the only other three-pointer he took in the contest – a shot with 3:30 left that would have given Meralco a four-point lead.
"You have to give Ginebra credit defensively," Alapag said. "It was kind of a close game throughout. They had a nine or ten-point lead going into the fourth, and we were able to make a push, to give ourselves a chance in the end game."
"But (Justin) Brownlee came up big, Sol (Mercado) got a huge offensive rebound. We had some opportunities, but we just didn't convert," he added. "That's just the way it goes sometimes."
The Bolts had a chance to force overtime with 13.4 seconds left, but it appeared as though Ginebra was determined to let anyone else but Alapag beat them. He was well-covered in the final play, and Meralco import Allen Durham wound up taking a triple that misfired.
"I definitely didn't have too many opportunities, whether it was LA (Tenorio) or Sol guarding me," Alapag noted after the game. "They stuck pretty close, even if I was 30-feet away from the basket."
Ginebra had good reason to stay home on Alapag: the "Mighty Mouse" drained a crucial three-pointer in Game 1 that had given the Bolts a late lead. The Gin Kings still managed to force overtime, but the Bolts – led by Durham – took over in the extra period to secure the win.
"Credit has to go to their defense," Alapag said again. "We'll look at the tape, and see how we can get better and get ready for Wednesday."
The veteran point guard stressed that the Bolts remain upbeat despite the loss.
"I mean, we know this series wasn't gonna be a four-game sweep, by any means," he said. "Whether this goes five, six, or seven, I'm anticipating games like this for the rest of the series."
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