Chris Ross is aging like fine wine.
As injuries riddled the San Miguel Beer team, the 38-year-old Ross found a way to up the ante of his game and lead the Beermen back in strong contention for a Top 4 finish in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup elimination phase.
The veteran guard has been huge for the franchise from the period Dec. 13 to 17 when the Beermen gunned down two legitimate title contenders in reigning champion Barangay Ginebra and TNT one after the other.
Ross exploded for 22 points in a 95-82 rout of the Kings, and then steadied the ship in a 98-93 come-from-behind win over the Tropang Giga.
In the two games combined, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year averaged 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in an all-around game that allowed San Miguel to climb back in the standings and improve at 5-3 for a tie with Northport for fourth to fifth places, and give the team a shot of clinching a twice-to-beat edge in the quarterfinals.
Ross’ leadership and take-charge attitude in leading San Miguel to back-to-back victories made him the unanimous choice as the PBA Press Corps-Pilipinas Live Player of the Week.
Crowding out Ross for the weekly honor handed out by the men and women who cover the PBA beat, are San Miguel teammates CJ Perez and Jericho Cruz, the Meralco trio of Allein Maliksi, Chris Newsome, and Chris Banchero, and Rain or Shine’s Andre Caracut and rookie Keith Datu.
But Ross truly stood out for the Beermen in the week that was.
He was 6-of-9 from three-point range against Ginebra and sank a couple of timely treys in the endgame that took the fight out of the Kings.
Ross only had five points against the Tropang Giga, but hit a crucial three-pointer in the final 2:43 mark that sparked a strong finishing kick by the Beermen and complete the reversal.
In all, the San Miguel playmaker averaged 67 percent shooting from the field, including a high 58 percent from beyond the arc (7-of-12) coming from a man who has made a living of playing defense in the PBA.