STEPHEN Holt admitted Barangay Ginebra was motivated to get back at San Miguel in their first meeting since the Beermen dealt the Kings their worst loss in franchise history.
"We used it as motivation, but we knew that was an outlier type of game for our style of play, and how we competed," said the sophomore guard. "At the end of the day, we used that as motivation."
Holt naturally was referring to the Kings' 49-point blowout (131-82) at the hands of the Beermen during the group stage of the PBA Governors Cup.
And so, going to the opener of their best-of-seven semis series, the Kings had nothing but blood in their eyes.
Import Justine Brownlee exploded for 33 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the four-point distance, while Holt capped the payback 122-105 win behind a career-high 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field at the Philsports Arena on Wednesday.
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Last year's Rookie of the Year also added eight rebounds and four assists in his first ever stint in the semifinals.
"At the end of the day, it's the playoffs," said Holt. "It's a new set of basketball, a new pressure. And I'm very happy the way we responded in Game 1 especially coming off a rest."
The Kings had a one week break going to the best-of-seven semis after completing a three-game sweep of Meralco in the quarterfinals.
"That was very important for us to come out with the energy that we did on both ends of the floor, and try to execute the game plan as best as we could."
Game 2 of the series is set Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. (RG)
