For at least once in his career, Jericho Cruz can proudly share to people that he had his own version of the “Flu Game”.
In Sunday night’s PBA action, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters earned their second win in a row at the expense of the gritty Phoenix Fuel Masters, 92-87, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
In the win, the E-Painters received a huge lift from top guard Jericho Cruz, leading RoS with 22 markers on a decent 7 out of 14 shooting clip, along with eight boards to flirt with a double-double.
And he contributed greatly to the team despite being stricken with flu.
“Nung second quarter sobrang hirap makahinga sa court,” said Cruz when describing how his flu had taken its toll on him for a moment during the match.
“‘Di ko ine-expect na na bibigyan ako ni Coach Caloy [Garcia] ng playing time kasi I was sick for three, four days na. Pero yung trust niya sa’kin andoon, kaya siguro pinaglaro niya ‘ko.”
“It paid off naman,” the PBA Season 41 All-Rookie Team member said with a sigh of relief.
Garcia’s decision definitely paid dividends for Rain or Shine, especially in the final frame. When Phoenix closed within nine, 81-72, Cruz delivered, hitting three straight treys in an 11-2 run to bar a Phoenix comeback with 3:53 left.
Hitting three triples in a row was definitely noteworthy, and even Cruz was a bit stunned by the way he shot the rock from way downtown that significantly aided the victory for his team.
“May time na nagulat. Pero kasi araw-araw mo namang pinapractice eh. It’s my first time na ganoon sa PBA. Magawa ulit sana,” hopes the 26-year-old guard.
With the way he played tonight that equated to a RoS win, the team has now placed second in the team standings with a 5-2 card.
“It’s a big win for us. We may never know kung nasa gitna ba kami or nasa ilalim. This game is very important especially going against San Miguel,” Cruz admitted.
