Rain or Shine guard Maverick Ahanmisi is determined to atone for his missed free throws that allowed GlobalPort to escape with a 114-113 win and extend their PBA Commissioner's Cup quarterfinal duel to a winner-take-all match on Thursday.
Ahanmisi missed three of four free throws in the dying seconds, opening the door for Jonathan Grey to hit a go-ahead triple with 11.5 seconds left that turned out to be the winning shot for the eighth seed Batang Pier.
"Oh, definitely determined," Ahanmisi said. "I mean, nobody wants to miss free throws in a crucial moment, especially being the top seed. It's do-or-die now."
While Ahanmisi was quick to blame himself for the loss, he felt the situation could have been avoided had the Elasto Painters held on to a 16-point lead late in the third.
"I'm not taking away the fact that I missed crucial free throws (and it's) definitely something I gotta work on leading up to the next game," Ahanmisi said.
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"But it shouldn't have even gotten up to that point, and that game is on me, definitely, for missing the free throws. If I made those, it would have been over."
The Elasto Painters, who topped the eliminations with a 9-2 record and enjoyed a twice to beat advantage entering the game, will have another chance on Thursday but pressure will be on their side.
The rubbermatch will be played at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Rain or Shine is seeking its first semis appearance since winning the Commissioner's Cup crown in 2016.(JT)
