They made the journey look easy, but it was not
On paper, this batch of San Miguel Beermen made it look easy. They won 10 of their 11 elimination round assignments, disposed a tired Rain or Shine team in the quarterfinals, and eliminated the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in five games to win their third straight Philippine Cup crown — the least amount of games they have had to go through in their three Philippine Cup Finals.
But it wasn’t easy. There were times when their patience was tested, especially during their grueling seven-game series against TNT. And no one knows about it more than reigning MVP June Mar Fajardo.
“Sa basketball, may ups at downs. ‘Pag nasa taas ka, kailangan mo i-cherish yun.
“Pag nasa baba ka naman, kailangan mo ng mga taong magchi-cheer up sa inyo,” the 27-year-old shared.
During those times, the five-year San Miguel lifer leaned on his teammates, who have become his second family.
“Kailangan lang namin maglaro as a team. Tiwala lang sa sistema ni coach, tiwala sa isa’t isa,” the Cebuano added.
Once the final buzzer had sounded, every moment, every struggle, and every bit of emotion came crashing down onto him. In the five game series, he averaged mind-boggling numbers of 15.6 points on 68.75 shooting, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks. But even after five championships, it still does not get old for the National Team mainstay.
“Siyempre special ito kasi may history din. Nakakatuwa talaga.
“Sobrang nakaka-proud kasi talagang pinaghirapan namin. Before nag-start yung conference, grabe na yung sakripisyo namin. Sobrang proud ako sa teammates ko dahil pinu-push nila ko para gawin ang best ko,” the gentle giant said.
Even if the next conference is about to start in a few weeks, while the Gilas practices are just a few days away, Fajardo plans to just cherish this moment and heal the scars and bruises he has suffered this conference.
“Siguro naman natuto na kami. Kailangan lang namin maging focused,” he said about the next journey of the Beemen.
“Pero kailangan muna namin i-cherish ito, magpahinga, para ready next conference.
