It was one of those Wednesdays for June Mar Fajardo
The 6-foot-10 big man got himself a historic sixth Best Player of the Conference award. Hours after his coronation, a San Miguel Beermen victory in Game Four of the 2018 Philippine Cup Finals came along.
With that, Fajardo couldn’t be thankful enough.
“Thankful ako kay God sa blessing na binigay niya sa akin. Sino ba magaakala na makakarami ako ng BPC,” said Fajardo moments after their 82-80 win over the pesky Magnolia Hotshots at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“Thankful din ako sa management, sa coaching staff, and especially sa mga teammates ko, kung hindi dahil sa kanila hindi ko makukuha to. Credit din sa kanila. Hindi lang ako yung BPC, para sa akin kaming lahat yung BPC.
“Yung BPC sakin, parang on paper lang yun, pero yung totoong BPC kaming lahat,” added the reigning, four-time league Most Valuable Player.
The sixth-year pro has always insisted that championships are his priority. With Wednesday’s win over the Hotshots, he now has a chance to add another, as San Miguel have moved to just a win away from their fourth straight All-Filipino crown.
But even with the road to the title nearly complete, Fajardo doesn’t want to be too confident, expressing concerns about Magnolia, as he knows how tough their opposition plays whenever their backs are against the wall.
“Wala malayo pa yan,” said Fajardo, who’s averaging 20.0 points and 15.25 rebounds in the series. “Hindi naman ganun kadali gi-give up yung [Magnolia], ta-try pa rin nila yan. Kami rin ta-try namin na tapusin na sa Friday.
“Kailangan ready kami. Marami din kaming adjustments na gagawin, sa ngayon kailangan muna namin magpahinga, may practice kami bukas,” he furthered. “Kailangan namin ‘wag maging kampante.
“Kailangan go hard pa rin kami para makuha yung panalo.”
