AT least on this one special night, Scottie Thompson was Robert Jaworski Sr. in the eyes of coach Tim Cone.
Thompson willed back Barangay Ginebra against old rival Magnolia to pull off a 103-97 comeback win in the PBA Commissioner's Cup and dealt the Hotshots their first loss in the conference.
The reigning MVP scored nine of his 14 points in the fourth quarter when he teamed up with resident import Justin Brownlee in rallying back the Kings from as much as a 15-point deficit in the third quarter.
He also added four rebounds and six assists, while shooting 50 percent from the floor.
More than that however, it was his hustle and pure heart in leading back the Kings from the grave that stood out for Cone the most, prompting the winningest coach in PBA history to see the comparison between Thompson and the man everybody acknowledged as the heart-and-soul of the Ginebra franchise.
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"That was really Jaworski-like tonight," admitted Cone, who had his own battles with Jaworski, 76, in the past during his time as coach of Alaska.
"I'm honest. That was what I was thinking the whole game. I was watching Sonny Jaworski's barreling drives, the rebounds. It was really a tribute to Sonny tonight.
"It was typical 'never-say-die' Ginebra game from the 1990s in my opinion," added the Ginebra coach. "I remember those. I remember being on the other side of those things when I was losing to those things. It was great to be on this side."
The Kings pulled off the inspiring win behind a huge crowd of 12,087 at the Mall of Asia Arena and couldn't have come at a better time as the team improved to 3-2 overall and bounced back after losing to Phoenix the last time, 101-93.
It likewise ended a three-year losing streak by Cone and Ginebra to the Hotshots, who had won all of their games in the Manila Clasico series since 2019.
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The Hotshots fell to a 5-1 record and yielded the top spot to the idle Bay Area Dragons (6-1). (RG)
