Poy Erram refuses to get bogged down by an ankle injury now that TNT is on the verge of repeating as champions of the PBA Philippine Cup.
The 6-foot-8 center was a game-time decision for Game Five on Wednesday night, but ultimately decided to play on with the help of painkillers.
And he played like he wasn’t hurt. He tallied 17 points, seven rebounds, and a game-high three blocks as the Tropang Giga beat San Miguel by way of a 102-93 decision to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Finals series.
“Gusto ko lang din talaga makatulong sa team in any way possible kasi siyempre crucial tong Game Five e,” said Erram moments after the match. “Pagdating sa court, ‘di ko na inisip kung anong nararamdaman ko.”
The 33-year-old disclosed that he suffered the injury during practice, and was so uncertain about suiting up for Game Five due to the pain he felt.
“Nung simula, talagang ‘di ko matapak. Nagpa-x-ray kami, sobrang hindi ako sure kung makakalaro ako kasi masakit talaga,” he said.
But for Erram, it would be much more difficult for him to just sit out and offer excuses, the reason why he chose to play despite his condition.
“Pagdating sa court, ‘di ko na inisip kung anong nararamdaman ko or whatever kasi lahat naman kami may nararamdaman kasi bugbog na rin naman,” he said.
“Paano pa kaya si kuya Kelly [Williams]? nabubugbog sa kakabantay kay June Mar [Fajardo], ‘di ba? Ano ba naman para mag-reklamo ka, ankle sprain lang.”
Game Six is on Friday and Erram vowed that he’ll play, dead set on helping TNT finish off the Beermen to defend their hold of the Perpetual trophy.
“Pipilitin ko na lang. Konti na lang, matatapos na, ‘di ba? Sayang e, kaya pipilitin ko na lang,” said the nine-year veteran.
“Wala ng excuse excuse.”
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
