In typical Japeth Aguilar fashion, the veteran big man tried to give Bol Bol a Kodak moment barely two minutes into Ginebra’s rivalry bout with TNT to close out the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup elimination round on Sunday night.
He cut to the hoop and caught Scottie Thompson’s lob from near-midcourt for a two-handed jam past the 7-foot-3 big man’s defense, in a play that left the Mall of Asia Arena cheering.
Unfortunately, though, he missed the shot.
“Ganun naman ‘yung play namin. Usually, ‘yung backdoor sa triangle,” he recalled of the sequence that could’ve gone viral online had he made it.
“It’s a staple in our offense, kahit sina Justin, sina Troy buma-backdoor. Tinry ko makuha talaga ‘yung rhythm, unfortunately, di pumasok,” he added.
He may have fallen short of generating a play for the books, but the Barangay celebrated at the end after pulling off the 93-86 win, which also clinched the no. 2 seed entering the quarterfinals.
The 39-year-old forward from Ateneo couldn’t be any happier, not just with the win itself but to reunite with his teammates after missing a few games due to the lung injury he suffered during their eventual win versus Blackwater last April 24.
(C) PBA Images
“It’s nice to be out there playing with my teammates,” Aguilar said.
“Parang preparation na rin for the playoffs, ayos na makaisang game ako.”
Understandably, the 6-foot-9 forward saw limited action, playing for a little over 15 minutes and finishing with six points and three rebounds.
Still, he’s glad to get his feet wet before the quarterfinals. He’s also grateful that he can grace the court again, and that his injury wasn’t serious, letting him rejoin the perennial contenders for the playoffs.
“Nung nalaglag ako, may parang air na nakalabas sa lungs ko. Nakalimutan ko na rin paano sabihin … Dito siya sa gitna ng chest ko,” he recalled of the doctor’s findings, possibly referring to pneumomediastinum.
“Pero everything’s good naman, ‘di naman ako nahirapang huminga. Usually raw kasi, nahihirapan huminga ‘pag may ganoon. Tapos ang kagandahan, self-correcting, so kailangan lang talaga ng pahinga para roon,” he added.
“Thankful na rin ako na ganun lang ‘yung nangyari, walang ibang ano, like, ‘di naman masyadong malala. Di naman ako nahirapan huminga.”
He’s thankful, too, that his first game back — and a part of his preparation for the playoffs — was against a quality opponent in the Tropang 5G, as he felt honored to fight against an ex-NBA pro like Bol.
“Iba,” Aguilar said of the experience competing against the 26-year-old. “Tagal ko na naglalaro ng basketball, you thought you’ve seen it all, then biglang may Bol Bol na darating. Kakaiba — 7’3″, tapos ganun ‘yung skill, guard skill.
“Iba,” the 17-year pro reiterated.
“Tinry ko makuha ‘yung rhythm ko sa loob. Masaya akong naka-isang game ako before the playoffs.”
