Santos gets last laugh in back-and-forth with courtside heckler as Beermen escape Gin Kings in OT

MANILA, Philippines — Arwind Santos battled a sluggish shooting and a pesky heckler for nearly the whole duration of San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra’s Game Two clash on Sunday night.

But he scripted quite the storybook reply.

The animated Santos knocked down a crucial triple to bring the Beermen within three as the game entered its final two minutes.

Again trailing by three, Santos  caught the loose ball. He then took a couple of steps back to establish his footing and to gather himself for a good look at the basket. The shot knotted the game at 95, forcing Ginebra head coach Tim Cone to shake his head in disbelief and call for a timeout.

Here is what the quotable cager’s got to say:

After six extra minutes, Santos wrapped up two jabs for his heckler. And the most important part of it? The finishing touches: a 104-102 comeback win and a 2-0 series advantage.

San Miguel will try to shoot for a commanding lead against the crowd darlings when their best-of-seven series resumes on Tuesday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.