Throwback Thursday: Mike Ayonayon Does a T-Mac to Help San Juan Against Bataan

Where would the San Juan Knights be right now if they didn't have a Mike Ayonayon in their line-up?

Sure, the defending champions in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) have John Wilson who is one of the best scorers in the league. They also have Jhonard Clarito who pundits hail as one of the best homegrown players to ever play in the league. They have Larry Rodriquez who is equipped with experience playing in the professional league. While Wilson can score 20 to 30 points in a snap, the Knights would not be in this position to potentially repeat as champions if not to Philippine Basketball Association (PBA)-bound Mike Ayonayon.

The Knights could have lost some games if not to number 18 and the best example to look at was the game of the Knights against the Bataan Risers last July 27, 2019. 

While the numbers in that game showed that the Knights could have won it easily as they were shooting 40% from the field which was slightly better compared to Bataan's 36% output, and the Knights even had Mac Cardona coming off the bench back then, it went down to the final two minutes of regulation and it boiled down to the performance of one Mike Ayonayon.

Time left on the clock: a minute and 42 seconds. Jess Mar Villahermosa made a lay-up to give the Risers a nine-point lead. San Juan Coach Randy Alcantara called a time out and 22 seconds later, Mike Ayonayon drilled a trey to bring the deficit down to just eight points. Less than ten seconds later, Ayonayon stole the ball and converted on another lay-up. The Risers threw another bad pass on the ensuing possession and Ayonayon missed on a try, got the offensive rebound twice but missed on the ensuing attempts before Bataan finally got the defensive bound. 

The Risers couldn't capitalize on Ayonayon's misses as Anton Asistio missed another three-pointer that would have given Bataan a nine-point cushion. Larry Rodriquez missed a pair of free throws but the Knights got the offensive rebound and went to Mike Ayonayon who drilled another booming three-pointer that cut the deficit down to just two points. Bataan failed to score and that set the stage for Ayonayon to score the game-tying basket with ten seconds left on the clock. And the game went into an extra five-minute period. 

All in all, Mike Ayonayon finished with 18 points and seven rebounds including four on the offensive end. 10 of those 18 points came in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter as the Knights went on to take an 87-79 victory over Bataan who was limited to seven points in the extra period. 

If anything, his performance in that game shows what he can do once he starts playing in the PBA. His 10-point run in the clutch reminded people of Tracy McGrady's 13-point run in 35 seconds against the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA). If anything, that game alone proved that Mike Ayonayoon is more than ready to play in the big stage, and considering who he will be playing for, we could see more of those scoring sprees in the future. 

Photo is from Business World