The fourth seeded Westports Malaysia Dragons has just pushed the top seeded San Miguel Beermen to game 3 in their playoff series after a stunning 100-77 win at MABA Stadium last Saturday.  

Dragons’ big man Brian Williams has been sensational in the series so far, almost recording a triple-double in both games. Known mostly for his rebounding and defensive skills, Williams has also showcased his great ball handling and passing skills in this series.

The 6’10’’ center took some time to talk to us about his performance in the first two games and playing against his former college teammate, Duke Crews.  

1. You have been phenomenal in the first two games, averaging 29 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists a game. What do you think has been working for you? 

Everything, I think, has been clicking and my teammates have been making the game easier for me. They are making the open shots so [the defense] can’t help because I have been doing a good job finding the open man.

2. You’ve averaged 8 assists/game so far in the series, what have you been doing in your game to achieve that? 

I think I have averaged a lot more assists in this series because, although I have been working on this all season, since I came back from injury I have become the primary ball handler and I’ve worked hard to be able to do a pretty good job of it.

3. Tell us what it’s like playing against your former University of Tennessee teammate Duke Crews in this series. 

Duke is a good friend of mine, he’s like family. We were a part of one of the best teams in Tennessee history and we battled in practice everyday and this made me a better player. It’s crazy that we meet up again under these circumstances. I’m guarding Fazekas and Duke is guarding me. I think I’m better against slower opponents though. He is quick and athletic so every basket I got I had to work for it.

4. You haven’t been afraid of bringing the ball up and starting the Dragons' offense. Is that part of Coach Ariel Vanguardia's game plan?

 
Usually during the season I would bring the ball up off a rebound but now I’m almost like a point guard, as weird as that sounds. It takes a lot of pressure off my guards because [the Beermen have] been pressuring them a lot. I have been doing a great job of finding shooters and getting Tiras Wade the ball early and often. It’s been working and I’m averaging 8 assists a game so why not keep doing it.

5. What do you think will have to improve for you guys to win game 3? 

Offensively we  have been clicking, averaging over hundred points. We know the Beermen will have different defensive strategies so we gotta adjust mid-game to have a chance of beating them again. If we play the way we did defensively in the last game we have a great chance of making the finals.