The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Robert Andaya
MIAMI of the United States and former NBA player Jimmer Fredette achieved a remarkable victory in the Chooks-to-Go FIBA 3×3 World Tour Cebu Masters on their first visit to the Philippines.
Fredette, one of the more popular 3×3 players, delivered the game-winning two-point basket as No. 4 seed Miami finished off Vienna of Austria, 22-19, in their exciting championship battle before an adoring weekend crowd at the SM Seaside City in Cebu to claim their first World Tour Masters title in four years.
“This was special. It was a great experience for our team playing in Cebu. We battled the whole year and broke through with a huge win in the Cebu Masters,” said Fredette, who finished with nine points and four rebounds to claim Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors.
Canyon Barry, son of NBA great Rick Barry, also made his presence felt with eight points and four rebounds for Mikami,which bagged the top prize of US $40,000.
“This is an unbelievable tournament. Chooks-to-Go and FIBA did a great job putting it on. The fans here are the best in the world — the atmosphere, the energy, the support in every game all day long is incredible,” said Barry.
“Big shout out to the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3. Thank you for having us.”
Kareem Maddox and Dylan Travis also made significant contributions for the Americans.
Miami’s journey to the top of 3×3 basketball was nothing short of phenomenal. They started with a hard-earned 21-17 triumph over San Juan from Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals. Then, they delivered a convincing 21-13 upset against the top-seeded and world No. 1 team, Ub Huishan NE from Serbia, in the semifinals.
Vienna demonstrated its mettle throughout the tournament as well.
The Austrians pulled off an incredible 21-17 victory over Wuxi from China in the quarterfinals and secured a thrilling win over Amsterdam HiPRO from the Netherlands, thanks to Quincy Diggs’ buzzer-beating floater in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, the Manila Chooks 3×3 basketball team had a rollercoaster campaign.
They came up short and lost 14-21 to Ub Huishan NE from Serbia in the quarterfinals.
But they also reached a high point when Mac Tallo sank a game-winning two-pointer in a 21-17 victory over Futian from China in Pool C of the main draw. This win marked their first taste of victory in over a year of intense competition.
The last time a Chooks 3×3 team claimed victory in the World Tour Masters was just a year ago in Manila, making their recent success all the more significant.
In the slam dunk contest, Poland’s multiple-time world champion, Rafal “Lipek” Lipinski, outshone the Philippines’ David “Air” Carlos, securing the $4,000 prize.
In the two-point shootout, Steve Sir of Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy narrowly defeated Tallo, emerging as the champion in another exciting competition 14-13.
The scores:
Semifinals Game 1
Miami (21) – Fredette 11, Barry 7, Travis 2, Maddox 1
Ub (13) – Stojacic 7, Dordevic 2, Majstorovic 2, Brankovic 2
Semifinals Game 2
Vienna (19) – Diggs 7, Linortner 6, Kaltenbrunner 4, Murati 2 Amsterdam (18) – De Jong 8, Jaring 4, Driessen 3, Thelissen 3.
Finals
Miami (22) – Fredette 9, Barry 8, Maddox 4, Travis 1
Vienna (19) – Linortner 9, Kaltenbrunner 6, Diggs 3, Murati 1