Chris Ross assured that his leg injury will pose no significant issue anymore, especially now that he and the San Miguel Beermen are heading into the 2018 Philippine Cup Finals opposite sister team Magnolia Hotshots.
The 33-year-old point guard incurred a slight tear in his right thigh back in their semifinal series with the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, forcing him to play limited minutes so as to not aggravate the injury further.
“I’m getting closer to a hundred percent,” shared Ross on Wednesday afternoon during the Finals’ press conference at Sambokojin in Eastwood, Quezon City. “I went to practice, and I felt pretty good. So we’ll see.
“I’m going to get treatment after this, and then I’ll get treatment again tomorrow. For Friday, I should be ready.”
Ross also feels more upbeat since his recovery from the injury is further along than expected. “My recovery is going maybe ahead of schedule. That’s good news for me that my body’s healing,” he said.
Ross has always been a major part of San Miguel’s success. Back in the elimination round of this year’s All-Filipino tilt, the do-it-all floor general had posted norms of 11.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.9 steals.
This is why he cannot afford to be absent for the Beermen in their upcoming title defense as they aim for history: to be the first-ever team to win the Philippine Cup four times in a row and to be one of the best teams ever.
“We’re really playing for something,” said Ross. “We’re trying to be in the conversation of one of the best PBA teams ever. We never talk about it, as far as we want to be the best PBA team ever to play, but I think if we’re blessed enough to win this championship, and keep winning going forward, I think we can put ourself in the conversation.
“That’s what we really want. Of course we wanna win championships. But we wanna be remembered and known, twenty, thirty, forty years from now.”