Jericho Cruz can now turn all his focus on Guam after San Miguel successfully wrapped up the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup Finals in six games.
The seasoned winger admitted that it would be difficult for him to fly out had the Beermen lost Wednesday night’s affair and led to a rubber match, thus the huge relief he felt when they eked out the 104-102 come-from-behind win.
“Ang sarap umalis ng ibang bansa na panalo,” he told reporters moments after their title-clinching victory at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“Kasi nasa mindset ko na ‘pag natalo kami, parang ayaw ko pumunta. Parang ayaw ko maglaro sa Guam ‘pag natalo kami,” he added.
Cruz himself played a key role in making sure that there wouldn’t be a Game 7, contributing 12 points on three triples in 36 minutes off the bench.
His last shot from deep was part of a crucial 11-2 run that wiped out a six-point deficit and gave SMB the 103-99 lead with 48.7 seconds left to play.
The 33-year-old would come up big in the final seconds as well, saving CJ Perez’s missed free throws by hauling down the offensive rebound before splitting his own shots from the line to extend their lead to two.
Eventually, the confetti rained down and Cruz himself found himself celebrating his second championship with the franchise, and third overall personally.
“Wala ako masyadong masabi. Sobrang taas pa rin ng feeling. Parang nasa cloud nine nga ako eh, yung feeling na nag-champion nang ganito. Wala ka nang iisipin, paggising mo bukas, champion ka na,” he said.
Coming through in crucial moments is nothing new to the eight-year pro. It could be remembered that his timely explosion in Game 5 put them on the cusp of the crown as he finished with a playoff career-high 30 points on eight treys.
However, Cruz is never one to make things about himself.
“Hindi ko naman iniisip ‘yung sarili ko, iniisip ko yung team. Kasi kahit dati pa naman, kahit kay Coach Yeng [Guiao], walang star star player,” he said.
“Kumbaga, I’m just here to help out. Kung anong kailangan ni coach. Noong time na yun, walang masyadong gumagana, so natapat na rin sa akin. I was taking good shots, I was making them. Ayun, nagbigay sa amin ng panalo.
“Ngayong Game 6, CJ stepped up again. He played badly in the first half, pero noong second half, he was the MVP. He’s the MVP for a reason,” he added as Perez made 28 points on his way to earning Finals MVP honors.
Now, Cruz will be rejoining the Guam national team in high spirits, hoping, of course, that his latest success will continue in their upcoming campaign in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers’ opening window set on February 22-26.
Guam will be taking on Japan at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo on the 22nd before facing Mongolia at the UG Arena in Ulaanbaatar on the 25th.
Afterward, he’d head into a well-deserved vacation with his family before going back to work for the Season 48 Philippine Cup that starts on the 28th.
“Since nanalo kami, naka-ready na ‘yung ticket ko for Guam, kasama ko ‘yung family ko. At the same time, vacation na rin ‘yung dating,” he said.
