Playing on Christmas Day had a different feel for LA Tenorio, who was not able to spend time with his family for the first time during the holiday season.
“It was really a mix of emotions because this is the first time I will spend Christmas away from my family,” said Tenorio after he led Barangay Ginebra to a 96-81 win over Bay Area on Sunday. “It just happened that this is a Christmas game, but the most important thing is to really get Game 1. This is very important for us.”
Tenorio’s big game with two other teammates gave them a good head-start in the best-of-seven Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup Finals at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
“Might as well win this thing all the way, right?” added Tenorio, whose wife and kids have gone on vacation overseas without him.
During the game, Tenorio raised his conference-high record to 22 points, while also getting two rebounds, three assists and three steals in 33 minutes.
Tenorio is seeking to earn his eighth PBA title overall.
What made this triumph more special and emotional for Tenorio and his teammates was that 18,252 fans came and watched. It was considered as the biggest Finals’ crowd since 20,224 came to see the Kings’ when they won in Game Six of last season’s Governors’ Cup in April.
“Added motivation (crowd) for me na hindi ako nakasama doon,” said Tenorio.
Recently naturalized Filipino Justine Brownlee put in a game-high 28 points,13 rebounds and six assists for the most popular team in the PBA.
Christian Standhardinger was also a big factor in the game, with his double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Tenorio, Brownlee and Standhardinger were at the forefront of Ginebra’s big 19-6 assault in the second period. Their huge effort allowed Ginebra to grab a 45-40 advantage at halftime.
“In a lot of Finals appearances that I had, Game One is really important,” said Tenorio.