The PBA’s much-discussed four-point shot was formally implemented in an official game on Sunday when Meralco and Magnolia locked horns to open the Season 49 Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The new rule, which now awards players who shoot from beyond the 27-foot arc a total of four points, could have gone either way for the two teams.
But it was the Bolts who took advantage of it with Chris Banchero sinking the first-ever four-point shot in league history, burying the long bomb early in the second quarter off a dish from returning import Allen Durham.
A potential game-winning four-point basket could have also given the Hotshots the victory, but a missed long bucket from Glenn Robinson III in the final seconds saw Meralco cruising to the victory with Durham sealing it with a pair of freebies, 99-94.
Banchero admitted that it will take a lot of time before everyone gets used to the new rule, especially that it’s four feet further than the usual three-point area.
“Of course, you got to adjust because it’s a big play, four points could push you back in the game. You know, we were only up by four points so they could have hit one and given it a chance so you know, it’s fun playing with it,” Banchero, who finished with 14 points on 1-of-2 shooting from four-point range, said.
“We’ll see how it goes this conference, if they would want to keep it.”
The Filipino-Italian guard, though, admitted that for himself, making those shots isn’t exactly a new thing, sharing he usually shoots from that distance anyway.
“You know, you don’t wanna force it from the four-point line just because it’s four points. You kind of want to catch it in rhythm,” he added.
“I usually shoot from that range so it kinda comes natural. You don’t want to force it from there because it’s a little bit further. I kinda got the rhythm and just let it go.”
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
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