Tim Cone had one message for critics of Scottie Thompson after the Barangay Ginebra star’s quiet scoring night against Jordan: check the “Scottie Things”. Gilas Pilipinas escaped with an 82-81 overtime win, and Thompson’s defense, not his points, was a big reason why.
‘Scottie Things,’ explained
Thompson finished with one point, six rebounds, and three assists in nearly 29 minutes, but the number that mattered most was a plus-13 on-court differential. In the PBA, Cone said, his longtime guard is known for doing all the little things that never show up in the box score.
“People give Scottie a hard time because he’s not a shooter, he’s not a true point guard, he’s gonna make a turnover here and there,” Cone told reporters. “But they dismissed all the stuff that he does. As we know in the PBA, we call him ‘Scottie Things.'”
The box score that undersells him
| Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Key defensive work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scottie Thompson (PHI) | 1 | 6 | 3 | Held Jalen Harris to 6-of-22 shooting |
| Jalen Harris (JOR) | 19 | – | – | Shackled by Thompson, forced to earn every bucket |
| Freddy Ibrahim (JOR) | 22 | – | – | Contained in the second half after a hot first |
Shackling Jordan’s scorers
Thompson drew the primary assignment on Jordan’s naturalized import Jalen Harris, who still scored 19 but shot just 6-of-22 after averaging 27 in the qualifiers. Cone credited Thompson, Cjay Perez, and Dwight Ramos for keeping Harris and Freddy Ibrahim under control, a defensive stand he said turned the tide.
One scare at the buzzer
Thompson nearly undid the good work when he was called for a five-second violation on an inbound late in the game. Kai Sotto bailed him out, swatting Abdullah Olajuwon’s shot before the buzzer to seal the win.
Back from a ‘really bad’ hamstring
Thompson returned to Gilas after missing the third window with a hamstring injury, and after sitting out Ginebra’s first five Governors’ Cup games. Cone said the bruising was visible on the outside of his leg and that recovery simply took time, making his return all the more valuable to both squads.
