You can find luck but not fight it

YOU can find luck. Although it is not usually seen by the naked eye outright, it is everywhere. Almost.

But go, look for it, and chances are you won’t see it. Instantly.

It is as elusive as a dream, as slippery as an eel – if not your catfish in the summertime.

Luck normally comes at the most unexpected moment.

But can you make luck? Yes, you can. Luck just presents itself right there and there.

It doesn’t just come in a silver platter.

The element of surprise is its primary component.

Take the case of San Miguel Beer on this particular night.

It was Game 2 of the PBA Philippine Cup.

As usual, Barangay Ginebra, SMB’s semifinal opponent, was being swayed and sashayed by a throng that included Sec. Bong Go at the festive-laden Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Q.C.

The Gin Kings were way ahead, almost a cinch already to defeat the Beermen.

But when Ginebra’s lead was cut to 95-92 with 13.4 seconds remaining, Arwind Santos banged home a three from beyond the keyhole arc. 95-95. Overtime.

It was a tight shot, with enemy hands partially blocking Arwind’s eyesight. Call that luck. Arwind’s luck.

It was actually a reload since, before that triple, Arwind also made a similar shot—much farther from where his overtime-sending triple was fired.

When it rains, it pours.

Luck ricochets, too, you know.

Two lucky shots. And to think Arwind had only a solitary point to show in almost the entire first three quarters before finishing with 11 points—6 of those from rainbow country, at crunch time. And then this. With 3.4 ticks left, Marcio Lassiter, firing four straight points earlier, tipped in a miss by June Mar Fajardo for SMB’s winning 104-102 victory and 2-0 lead in the race-to-three semifinals.

And wasn’t Lassiter cold as ice in the first two quarters but still managed to finish with 25 points, tipping in the winner against rebound demon Scottie Thompson at that?

The luck simply presented itself and heck, Lassiter grabbed it by the neck.

The SMB luck itself was helped, in no small amount, by Joe de Vance’s five-second inbound violation leading to Lassiter’s marginal fingertip tap-in.

SMB coach Leo Austria summed it all up, thus: “We just got lucky.”