AND THAT’S A WRAP
The final horn on Monday signaled not just the entry of Meralco into the semifinals of the PBA Philippine Cup, but also the end of Gabe Norwood’s 17-year PBA career.
And amid the fulfillment of getting back to a place the Bolts have not reached since their last championship, Cliff Hodge made sure he would hand the game ball to Norwood in a fitting tribute to his contributions to Philippine basketball.
“He is as professional as they come,” Chris Newsome said after Meralco’s 98-89 win at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Newsome and the Bolts could offer a bit of regret that they had to march their way in the semifinals at the expense of Norwood bidding goodbye.
Norwood would be the first one to understand, even if he had visions of a fairytale ending that wasn’t to be.
“I thought it would be a championship and kind of a more joyful situation.” he said. “[But] I’ve been blessed and I can’t complain at all.”
As Norwood was seen in a Rain or Shine jersey for the last time, Meralco will be seen playing in a semifinal round for the first time since winning the 2024 Philippine Cup.
The Bolts endured one playoff exit after another after that breakthrough triumph, losing in the quarterfinals of all three conferences last season.
Another semis spot seemed elusive again as Meralco, juggling its PBA duties with its campaign in the East Asia Super League (EASL), struggled to a 3-4 record after losing the first two, winning three in a row and dropping the next two.
The Bolts ended up at 6-5, good for seventh in the standings and needing to win twice over the Elasto Painters, who in October came from behind to force overtime on Norwood’s tip-in before stunning the Bolts, 96-95.
Semis streak also ends
“It’s been hard after that championship,” said coach Luigi Trillo. “Some of the other teams have improved, made a lot of trades and they have gotten younger. The EASL and [Basketball Champions League Asia] stints were really difficult. I think for us, people don’t know how hard it was.
“But just proud of the resiliency of the group. We didn’t start out well, but we were able to turn things around, so this is special.”
Meralco, however, can’t rest on its laurels, with a huge challenge in TNT ahead in the best-of-seven semis that starts on Jan. 4 at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
TNT eliminated Magnolia in the quarters, and seems to be in peak form now it is on the business end of its quest to rebound from missing the Grand Slam in the Season 49-ending Philippine Cup last July.
Rain or Shine, meanwhile, saw its streak of four straight semifinal appearances come to an end, a difficult way for Norwood to ride into the sunset.
“We are just kind of disappointed because we wanted to give Gabe a really good exit,” lamented Elasto Painters coach Yeng Guiao.
