There was some concern in the San Miguel Beermen camp prior to the deciding Game Three of their 2019 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinal series versus TNT KaTropa on Wednesday night, surrounding their main man June Mar Fajardo.
The 6-foot-10 slotman had hurt his left knee during the third quarter of Game Two last Monday. Fajardo took some time to get back on his feet, though he managed to return for the final stretch of the game, which San Miguel lost, 88-93.
But it was all systems go for Fajardo and San Miguel come Game Three. And he played like he never got hurt.
The reigning, five-time league Most Valuable Player was in his element. Fajardo dropped 32 points on a perfect 11-of-11 shooting from the field alongside 14 rebounds to lead San Miguel to a 96-86 win, to book a trip to the semifinals.
Fajardo, as usual, did not take all the credit to himself.
“Hindi lang naman ako yung maganda yung nilaro. Pati yung mga teammates ko nag-step up,” he said. “Nasunod namin yung game plan namin, lalo na sa depensa.
“Then pati yung mga bench namin, nagchi-cheer up sila sa amin.”
Unlike in the last two games, Game Three was a one-sided affair right from the get-go. The Beermen opened the match with a 23-7 blitz and never looked back. They even went on to lead by as many as 26.
But Fajardo least expected the game to be that lopsided.
“Hindi, hindi, hindi. Pero in-expect namin na all out yung ibibigay namin,” he said. “Kasi must-win na, ayaw pa namin magpahinga, ayaw pa namin umuwi, ayaw pa namin magbakasyon.
“Mabuti nag-step up lahat.”
Now, SMB are gearing up for their semifinal showdown with the Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters, who beat them 93-96 in the eliminations. But before fully shifting their sights to Phoenix, Fajardo and Co. will be looking to recover first.
“Same lang ng Talk N Text, aggressive … Pero sa ngayon, kailangan namin muna magpahinga kasi medyo pagod, medyo bugbog.”
