ANTIPOLO — There’s no such thing as a ‘revenge game’ whatsoever for Juami Tiongson when he faced his previous team on Saturday, as Terrafirma and San Miguel battled it out to the end in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup.
He and the Dyip ultimately fell short in pulling off the massive upset that saw the star guard come through with a big three in the clutch that sure threatened the opposition, but made it clear that there was no vendetta or any of it.
“Actually, there’s no hard feelings naman eh,” he told reporters moments after their 109-104 defeat—already their third in a row—at the Ynares Center here.
“When they traded me, they were very professional. Parang lahat nang sinasabi nila sa akin, revenge game. Bakit revenge?”
Among the narratives spun into this particular bout was Tiongson meeting his ex-ball club, which traded him back to Terrafirma along with hardly used rookie Chris Miller in exchange for Jerrick Ahanmisi and Paolo Hernandez.
Some saw it as a revenge game of sorts, as others say, whenever players face their old teams for the first time. But he never looked at it that way, pointing out that he’ll always hold the San Miguel franchise dear to his heart.
After all, it is where he tasted PBA glory, having won his only two championships when they conquered the last two editions of the Philippine Cup.
(C) PBA Images
Still, he showed out against the Beermen as if it was the Tiongson of old, pouring 27 points to help lead the furious rally from 22 down.
That included the booming wide-open trey with 1:21 to spare, which gave them the 104-101 lead until George King took over to take his team home.
“I guess given na ‘yun,” the 12-year veteran offered regarding his performance. “Siyempre when you get traded… nung tinrade din naman ako ng NLEX going to Terrafirma, coming into that game, siyempre focused ako eh.”
Then again, it’s nothing personal, he reiterated.
“It’s just, I guess, wanting to win, just wanting to prove myself again,” the Ateneo de Manila product said.
Because even to this day, Tiongson remains close with his former San Miguel teammates, saying that the bond they shared will always be there.
“They never did anything personal to me anyway. I always have a good relationship with them, especially the players,” he said.
“Up until now, si Mo [Tautua’a], nagse-send pa rin ng memes eh,” he added.
“‘Yung bond ko with them, hindi na mawawala ‘yun. Whatever team I play in.”
