MANILA, Philippines – In his eight-year illustrious career with Ginebra, Scottie Thompson has both made and missed significant free throws. 

The most agonizing misses he had, according to the current PBA Most Valuable Player, were the ones he was unable to make for Gilas Pilipinas on Monday night at the Philippine Arena. 

After falling behind by 25 points to Jordan, the Philippines came back and cut the deficit to one with 31.8 seconds remaining. 

However, Thompson, who has a free throw shooting percentage of 58.3 percent in the 2023 PBA Governors’ Cup, missed both of his attempts. 

The visiting Falcons eventually ended Gilas’ four-game winning streak in the qualifiers, 91-90.

According to Coach Chot Reyes, Scottie Thompson, who missed two crucial free-throws during the game against Jordan, is not being blamed for the loss. Reyes encouraged Thompson not to be too hard on himself, pointing out that if he hadn’t secured the offensive rebound off a Justin Brownlee miss, he wouldn’t have had the chance to go to the free-throw line. Reyes commented that no one else had grabbed that particular rebound.

The incident during the Jordan game is just one of many that have happened throughout the history of the Filipino Men’s National Basketball Team. One of the most painful instances was Olsen Racela’s missed shot against Korea during the 2022 Busan Asian Games.

Coach Reyes acknowledged that mistakes happen, and Scottie Thompson will learn and become a better player because of it. Reyes also mentioned that similar situations have occurred in the team’s past, and he is sure fans can recall those incidents. Despite failing to convert crucial free throws against Jordan, Thompson worked hard to secure an offensive rebound, and Reyes is confident that he will improve and won’t falter in clutch situations.

Thompson has performed well in the Qualifiers, averaging 6.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists over six games. He was also part of the Gilas Five team, which included Brownlee, Malonzo, Heading, Ramos, and Parks Jr.

Reyes shared that they made some defensive adjustments during halftime and made a more concerted effort to counter their opponent’s strategy. He also joked that Tim Cone, the opposing coach, was on the verge of a heart attack during halftime when they had given up 60 points. However, Reyes was pleased that their second-half defense only allowed half of that score.