Room to improve: Oftana still wants to be better after 3-Point Shootout reign
BACOLOD, Philippines – Calvin Oftana has already accomplished so much since he turned professional three years ago.
A champion with TNT, a PBA Mythical Team member, a Gilas Pilipinas cornerstone, and now a PBA All-Star, Oftana continues to enjoy immense success in his career.
It is probably because of his commitment to push his game to another level.
Oftana underscored the need to be better immediately after he dethroned Paul Lee for the Guards/Wings Three-Point Shootout crown during the PBA All-Star Weekend at the University of St. La Salle gym here on Saturday, March 23.
Firing 25 points in the finale, the Tropang Giga forward denied Lee a second straight title as the Magnolia ace settled for a runner-up finish with 20 points.
“It is a blessing and a privilege to win the Three-Point Shootout. But there is room to improve. I missed a lot of shots so I need to improve,” said Oftana in a mix of Filipino and English.
Oftana bucked a shaky start in the final that saw him hit the side of the backboard on his first shot before he found his groove.
He swept his second rack, sank three out of five balls in his money ball rack, and drained one of the two four-point balls on his way to title.
Meanwhile, Lee lost his touch in the final the same way Meralco’s Chris Newsome did after posting 26 points in the elimination round.
Newsome surprisingly topped the elimination round with 28 points but he mustered just 15 points in the final.
The last to shoot in the elimination round, Oftana narrowly made the next stage with 22 points, just edging Phoenix’s Kenneth Tuffin (20 points) for the last final spot.
Home bet James Yap, who hails from Escalante and played in Bacolod and Iloilo before making the jump to the bigger leagues, missed out on a third Three-Point Shootout title after netting just 17 points.
San Miguel’s Marcio Lassiter also ended up unsuccessful in his crack at the crown after eight tries as he missed the cut with 17 points.
Terrafirma’s Javi Gomez de Liaño (19 points), NorthPort’s Arvin Tolentino (19), Barangay Ginebra’s Maverick Ahanmisi (18), Converge’s Alec Stockton (18), Rain or Shine’s Andrei Caracut (17) also competed. – Rappler.com