Kevin Ferrer has been the center of the attention of the Finals. Just a rookie in the league, the 23-year-old is proving in the Finals that he will not back down from anyone.
After being in a back-and-forth squabble with one-time league MVP and 11-year veteran Arwind Santos, the Gilas Pilipinas pool member shared that his mentor, coach Tim Cone, had asked him personally to move on from the drama of this emotionally-charged series and just focus on the game.
“Basta ako focus na lang ako sa laro,” the University of Santo Tomas alumnus shared.
“Di ko na iniisip yang issue issue na yan kasi sabi nga ni coach Tim [Cone], yung Game Three tapos na yun at dapat ito yung paghandaan.”
However, the 6-foot-4 forward was limited to just six points — 6.67 points below his Finals average — in their 85-94 Game Four loss, as he was hampered by foul trouble all throughout the game.
There was also a brief moment in the game that saw him and Santos in an exchange that fortunately did not turn heated. During a loose ball with five minutes left in the game, Santos tried to save the ball from going out of bounds and, as he grabbed the ball mid-air, he threw the ball at the upper back area of Ferrer to save the possession. Ferrer was able to recover and tried to go for a breakaway lay-in but was swatted away by Santos that drew cheers from the 17,000 in attendance.
Proving that he has moved on from the “feud” he was in with Santos, Ferrer said that everything that had occurred during that sequence was all just part of the game.
“Ewan ko bahala na siya dun kung ano [yun]. Basta ako alam part of the game talaga yun.
“Part of the game na yun e. Kung ano, okay lang. Basta ginagawa ko lang role ko,” he furthered.
And speaking of moving on, Ferrer hopes that he and his team can move forward from their sluggish Game Four start that led to a 3-1 series deficit. He vowed that they will do everything in their power to bounce back come Sunday.
“Siyempre mahirap maghabol kung ganito kalaki yung lamang. Pero ginagawa naman namin yug best namin para makahabol kaya nga nakababa ng lamang,” he said.
“Never say die nga eh. Kahit anong mangyari, maglalaro lang kami ng best namin”
Video by Sports5
