Cliff Hodge insisted that he would never inflict harm on anyone after Ginebra fans online labeled him as a dirty player.
The Meralco lifer drew the ire of the Kings’ faithful after a foul on Justin Brownlee in Game Two of the 2022 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals last Friday. The Best Import favorite rolled his left ankle after landing on Hodge.
It happened barely two minutes into the final period, when he went up for a jump shot. Moreover, Brownlee hurt the same ankle he injured during his stint in the Middle East last year. But he was able to play on and lead his side to the 99-93 win.
Brownlee even finished with a near triple-double, coming up with the biggest of plays down the stretch to fend off the Bolts’ surge.
“I’m a basketball player. If we’re going to beat Ginebra, I want to beat Ginebra full force,” said Hodge. “I’m not going to try to injure anyone, ever, when I play. That is one thing.
“If you know me personally, I’m not trying to injure anyone.”
He explained that the incident was purely accidental, adding that he even apologized to the American cager since he felt bad that it happened
“I would never do that – I even apologized to Brownlee,” he said. “I was trying to get around the screen. There were three seconds on the shot clock, I went up to challenge. We were both vertical and we both came down at the same time.
“So, I did not know where his feet were going, and he just accidentally landed on my foot. I felt bad that it happened, but I apologized to him,” he added.
Still, that occurrence won’t hinder Hodge in pursuit of his first PBA championship – something he’s been chasing for a decade now.
“We’re both trying to win a championship. Some things are going to happen. If I get hit in the face or I get hit in the head, I’m not going to be like… I’m [not] going to stop playing. This is winning time,” he said.
“(I’ve) never won a championship in ten years, and I’m going to keep playing as hard as I can,” added the fourth overall pick in the 2012 Rookie Draft.
His on-court tenacity was on display in Game Three on Sunday night. Though scoreless, Hodge came up with the key stops down the stretch. That ultimately helped Meralco regain control of the best-of-seven series, 2-1.
The 6-foot-4 bruiser blocked Christian Standhardinger’s shot with both hands with 3:43 left. Then he drew a charge against the reigning Governors’ Cup BPC mere seconds later to help prevent their foes from building a rally.
The latter, said Hodge, was the play that he’s really proud of. “The big play was we come down, we turn the ball over. And he is steaming down, I’m like, let me get a charge. Boom! I get a charge. That is what I’m more proud of,” he said.
Hodge finished the night with six rebounds, two steals, a block, and an assist in the 37 minutes and 38 seconds he saw action.
The cager from Florida couldn’t hide how tired he felt, even holding an ice pack to his head after the match. Still, he said that he’d play as hard as he has done every given night in an aim to quench that thirst for gold.
“Honestly, I’m tired. I ain’t going to lie. For me, it comes from not winning a championship. I’ve gotten there so close so many times and I just want to do whatever I can for the team, for the company, for the players.
“Just to win finally it. If it’s having to play forty-eight minutes, or having to dive on the floor, having to guard their best player… I’m going to do whatever it takes,” said the 34-year-old Hodge, who is entering his 10th year in the league. “And hot-cold therapy.”
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