PBA: Player of the Week Mikey Williams powers Converge to first-ever semis appearance

MANILA — Mikey Williams’ experience and clutch shooting in pressure-packed situations served Converge well as it finally breached the quarterfinal barrier and copped a maiden semifinal appearance in the PBA.

Williams, a two-time champion and Finals MVP during his stint with TNT, rifled in back-to-back triples in sparking the fiery closing barrage that powered the FiberXers to a 120-109 Game 4 romp over Rain or Shine and cleared the path to their first-ever Final Four stint since joining the league in 2022.

The 35-year-old shooting guard finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists in a significant contribution to Converge’s 3-1 verdict.

It was one of the most explosive outings from Williams with the FiberXers – a performance that earned him Player of the Week honors from the PBA Press Corps for the period Nov. 3 to 10.

And it came when it mattered most.

“I just stay ready,” said the 6-foot-2 sniper, who hit four triples in that clincher.

“Coach (Delta Pineda) has been on me to shoot more. I just try to stay in the moment and keep shooting. I know eventually that some of them’s gonna fall.”

Williams, who averaged 11 points spiked by a 33-percent clip from the three- and four-point arcs to go with four rebounds and two assists in Converge’s two crucial wins of the week, beat teammate Juan Gomez de Liaño and Scottie Thompson, hero of Barangay Ginebra’s semis-sealing 110-94 Game 5 win over San Miguel Beer, for the citation.

“Mikey’s experience is a huge factor, especially in the quarterfinals and in this coming semifinals (against NLEX),” said Pineda of the Fil-Am hotshot.