Marc Pingris on spat with Omer Asik: pic.twitter.com/wI2k8WVwOR
— LVJ (@levijoshua) July 2, 2016
Gilas Pilipinas forward Marc Pingris gave fans something extra to cheer about during the Philippines’ tune-up match against Turkey last Friday night when he figured in a spat with Turkish center Omer Asik.
The moment happened in the fourth quarter when the two got entangled briefly and confronted each other afterwards. The two were immediately separated but both were given technical fouls. Asik fouled out in the process and received boos from the partisan crowd.
Pingris, who logged only six minutes in the 84-76 loss, bared after the game that he felt Asik went first and that he just retaliated.
“Di naman tayo papasindak sa kanila eh. Kailangan lumalaban din. Ako na nga yung siniko, siya pa yung galit. Binawian ko. Kailangan pakita mo rin na matapang ka sa loob,” Pingris shared, even saying he is not intimidated even if Asik is an NBA player.
“Wala akong pakealam don, kung sino man kaharap ko, kasalanan niya, edi gagantihan ko. Natamaan ako sa ilong tsaka sa likod eh. Noong binawian ko, siya yung nagalit,” he said.
“Siniko ko rin. Hindi naman sadya. Patago lang. Nagkataon lang yun.”
Asked about his brief exposure, Pingris added he has no worries being sent in only during the fourth quarter of the match, believing in head coach Tab Baldwin’s system.
“Ako wala naman akong ano doon eh. Maski bigyan ako ng two minutes ni coach, one minute, five minutes, gagawin ko yung trabaho ko,” he said.
“Alam kong may plano si coach sa team. Alam kong kung sino pinapasok niya, makakabuti sa team. Wala naman akong pakealam doon. Manalo lang. Binigiyan ako ng pagkakataon kanina, so binigay ko rin yung best ko.”
