Perez: I’m just making my shots

It started with consecutive shots finding the bottom of the net. Then a third straight, a fourth followed by a couple more, and then six in a row, swishing in for San Miguel Beer ace CJ Perez.

The veteran winger was a man possessed in the first quarter of the defending champions’ finals-clinching 101-88 victory over Barangay Ginebra in Game 6 of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinals late Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Perez was lights out in the opening period, hitting all 12 of his field goal attempts for 30 of his career-high 41 points to set a league record for most markers in the first quarter made by a player, local or foreign.

His output in the first canto is now the gold standard in PBA playoffs history.

Perez made all eight of his two-point attempts, connected all three triples and drilled his lone four-pointer in an opening quarter onslaught for the books.

Heck, he even outscored the Kings by himself in the period with Ginebra putting up only 25 points.

Perez was just as lost for words as the rest who witnessed history unfold.

“I’m just making my shots,” Perez said.

Perez’s field goal clip in a quarter is the new PBA standard since the 9-of-9 by Cyrus Baguio enroute to a 28-point output for Alaska in a 108-98 win over Coca-Cola in the 2010 Fiesta Conference.

His 30-point outburst tied the second-most output after Bong Alvarez’s fourth quarter explosion in a 71-point game for Alaska against Shell in 1990. On top is Allan Caidic after his 37-point quarter enroute to a 79-marker outing for Presto Tivoli back on 21 November 1991.

Perez’s 12-for-12 was the first perfect shooting game since Ali Peek finished with the same clip for Coca-Cola back on 10 March 2006.

“After my first and second shots went in, then came the third and fourth, all I did was take my shots and it just kept going in,” he said.

“I guess from there the confidence kicked in. I could see coach (Leo Austria) on the bench putting his trust in me. When I take my shot, I can see in their faces that they’re confident it will go in. No frowning,” Perez quipped.

But more than his scoring clinic, Perez felt more relieved with the Beermen avoiding a second straight do-or-die Game 7 against the pesky Kings.

San Miguel will have more time to rest and recover before its best-of-seven finals rematch against TNT starting Wednesday at the Ynares Center-Antipolo.

“I’m just happy and grateful we got the win and we’re back in the finals,” he said.