Banchero: No forcing of 4-pointers

Chris Banchero of Meralco made history when he nailed the first four-point shot in history during their game against Magnolia in the opening salvo of the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

But the Filipino-Italian gunner said he doesn’t intend to force his shots from way downtown.

“It’s good to be in history books,” said Banchero, who knocked down the landmark long bomb off a kick out pass from import Allen Durham at the 10:26 mark of the second period that gave the Bolts a 20-17 lead en route to a 99-94 victory.

“It’s a little bit farther than where it was but it wasn’t too crazy for me. It’s good. I’m happy that I made it.”

But the PBA still pushed it through.

Banchero said it was “fun” playing with a four-point line.

“First, you have to adjust because it’s a big play. Four points will put you back in the game or you’ll suddenly be up by four points. It’s fun. We’ll see how it goes as the conference progresses,” he said, adding that falling in love with the four-point shot could also hurt your team in the long run.

In fact, Hotshots import Glenn Robinson tried to shoot from the four-point line with his team trailing by just three in the final stretch of the match.

But his shot clanked out, which could have been different had he opted for a three-point shot for the equalizer.

“We don’t have to really force it in the four-point line just because it’s four points. We just need to catch it in rhythm,” Banchero said.

“I usually shoot from that range so it comes as natural you don’t wanna force it from there because it’s a bit farther. I’ve kinda caught it in rhythm and I kinda let it go.”