Joshua Smith and the TNT Katropa did not expect to end their Commissioner’s Cup run in such a devastating fashion. The Katropa were on the other end of a 91-115 rout, looking helpless in the final 24 minutes of the game.
But for Joshua Smith, who was TNT’s fourth import this conference, the Katropa’s run was still full of positives even if they’d fallen short.
“It’s been fun. Some ups, some downs,” said Smith, who finished with 15 points and six rebounds. “You know, the goal at the start of the conference is to get to the championship. We got to the championship.
“Obviously we didn’t win it but like I said, you just gotta get better next year.”
The 6-foot-10 American had to face numerous challenges in the playoffs. A foot injury in the semis limited his movement in the Finals. Moreover, he missed the birth of his first-born child as the Katropa were in the midst of its Finals run.
“If you are hurt, you could use that as an excuse to go home so that you’ll be there beside your girlfriend giving birth, pero he chose to stay here and play in the finals and work for the championship,” said TNT head coach Nash Racela after Game 4.
Still, he weathered it all, and the fact that he and TNT went to the Finals made it all worth it.
“We had adversity the whole time I was here – the first series against Meralco, the second series against Ginebra. I don’t really believe in moral victories, but there’s 12 imports here, there’s only gonna be two in the championship and I was one of them,” explained Smith, who averaged 16.7 markers and 9.5 caroms in the Finals.
“So that’s really cool to say.”
The 25-year-old former NBA D-Leaguer may have missed the chance to stand atop the podium and hoist the Commissioner’s Cup crown, but regardless of what happened, he is still going home a winner.
“I’m a dad, man.
“Obviously I wanna go out there and win a championship, but it’s a different feeling when you got somebody depending on you,” said Smith, who resides in McAllen, Texas. “I just hope that when my daughter gets older, she realizes that her dad did everything he could, you know what I’m saying? Try to set an example and like I said, win or lose, I’m a winner. I get to see my daughter for the first time.
“Different circumstances that I wanted, but can’t get mad.”
And once he gets to the airport, there will now be two people who will welcome him back with open arms: his girlfriend Kristy and his daughter Jayden.
