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PBA: Despite loss, Goorjian relishes 'incredible' Game 7 experience

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="The Bay Area Dragons finished as runners-up in the 2022 PBA Commissioner" s="" Cup.="" PBA="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/01/16/pba_bay-area-dragons.jpg"/><figcaption>The Bay Area Dragons finished as runners-up in the 2022 PBA Commissioner&#x27;s Cup. PBA Images.</figcaption></figure></div> MANILA, Philippines -- His team fell short of a championship but Game 7 of the 2022 PBA Commissioner&#x27;s Cup finals is an experience that Bay Area coach Brian Goorjian won&#x27;t soon forget.The Dragons suffered a 114-99 rout at the hands of Barangay Ginebra on Sunday night, in a game that got away from them in the second quarter. Bay Area trailed by as much as 28 points in the contest, and their every attempt at a comeback was quickly answered by the Gin Kings.But while the defeat is disappointing, Goorjian can&#x27;t help but be in awe of the atmosphere of the game. The decider was held at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, and a record crowd of 54,589 fans -- the biggest in PBA history -- watched on Sunday as Ginebra slayed the Dragons. &quot;When we fell behind, I kept looking up and I was just scratching my head. I haven&#x27;t seen anything or been a part of anything like it and it&#x27;s just an incredible experience,&quot; Goorjian said after the game.&quot;It&#x27;s something I&#x27;ll never forget,&quot; he added.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/15/23/ginebra-overpowers-bay-area-in-game-7-to-rule-commissioners-cup">GAME RECAP: Ginebra overpowers Bay Area in Game 7 to rule Commissioner&#x27;s Cup</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/16/23/record-crowd-the-difference-maker-for-ginebra-in-game-7">READ: Record crowd the difference-maker for Ginebra in Game 7</a></li></ul>The Dragons were within six points, 27-21, after the opening period and it appeared that they had weathered a fast start from Ginebra import Justin Brownlee. But the Gin Kings only poured it on in the second quarter, scoring 34 points to Bay Area&#x27;s 18. The guest team trailed, 61-39, at the half and fell behind by as much as 28 points in the contest.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Bay Area coach Brian Goorjian. PBA Images." src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/01/16/pba_bad-brian-goorjian.jpg"/><figcaption>Bay Area coach Brian Goorjian. PBA Images.</figcaption></figure></div>&quot;I would&#x27;ve loved to put [on] a better game for the crowd,&quot; said Goorjian. &quot;But it is what it is and like I said, we&#x27;ll lick our wounds and fight back. But the experience is incredible.&quot;The Commissioner&#x27;s Cup had been Bay Area&#x27;s first-ever competition as a team, having been formed just last year to represent Greater China in the East Asia Super League. Composed of players from China and Hong Kong, and powered by imports Myles Powell and Andrew Nicholson, they finished as the top seed in the elimination round of the conference.They faltered at the final hurdle, however, with injuries to Nicholson and Powell hampering their bid. Despite this, Goorjian has no doubt that the experience of playing in the PBA has been invaluable for his team.&quot;I just think you learn a lot about your team and I think the team learned a lot,&quot; the veteran coach said. &quot;We have a younger group which has never experienced anything like this.&quot;&quot;They killed us on the glass, they killed us in transition, they pressured us, they&#x27;re stronger with the ball. They learned a lot with this experience and there&#x27;s no doubt who the better team was,&quot; Goorjian added.&quot;Those top teams, Ginebra, they&#x27;re well coached, they play so physical and so strong, and I&#x27;m saying that in a very complimentary way. They pushed us off of our spots, they crashed the glass, they ran the floor. When I looked up, we&#x27;re 20 down.&quot; <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/11/23/pba-game-7-in-ph-arena-a-dream-come-true-for-dragons">READ: Game 7 in PH Arena a &#x27;dream come true&#x27; for Dragons</a></li></ul>Their experience in the Commissioner&#x27;s Cup -- and against Ginebra in the Finals -- should serve Bay Area well when they compete in the EASL in March. There, they will be up against some of the top teams in the region, including San Miguel Beer and TNT Tropang GIGA from the PBA. Unlike in the PBA, where they were limited to one import, Bay Area can play Nicholson and Powell at the same time when they compete in the regional league. &quot;These guys have never experienced a team like Ginebra. They played against good teams but [Ginebra] is different,&quot; Goorjian said of his team. &quot;There&#x27;s the physicality, there&#x27;s the toughness, there&#x27;s the emotion that they&#x27;ve never experienced before.&quot;&quot;They&#x27;re gonna grow from this,&quot; he guaranteed. &quot;They&#x27;re gonna become better players and I got players that are 22, 23 years old that have an opportunity to grow and this experience is gonna make them better.&quot; <div>PBA Season 47 games can be streamed live and on-demand on iWantTFC with a Premium subscription, available worldwide except PH and US. </div>

Game 7 of the 2022 PBA Commissioner's Cup finals is an experience that Bay Area coach Brian Goorjian won't soon forget.

PBA: Despite loss, Goorjian relishes 'incredible' Game 7 experience

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PBA: Despite loss, Goorjian relishes 'incredible' Game 7 experience

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 16, 2023 08:25 PM PHT

Read More:

basketball

PBA

PBA Commissioner's Cup

Bay Area Dragons

Brian Goorjian

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