SMART CLARK GIGA CITY – LA Tenorio finally won his first PBA Philippine Cup championship following Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s conquest of rivals TNT in Game Five of the Finals Wednesday night.
The 36-year-old waited for this moment to come as the Perpetual Trophy was the only team missing in his collection that has five championships, on top of a plethora of other awards — both from here and abroad.
And to make it even sweeter, Tenorio was adjudged as the Cignal PBA Press Corps Finals Most Valuable Player.
“All-Filipino lang ipinagdasal ko, binigyan pa ako ng bonus,” he said.
The 5-foot-9 floor general finished with 10 points, including the game-sealing free throws in the 82-78 clincher., He also had six assists, two rebounds, and a steal in the 36 minutes and 45 seconds he played.
Being calm and collected was best exemplified by him in the series. From being the stabilizing presence in the series opener where his end-game wizardry was on display, he was also responsible for moving Ginebra to the cusp of the title.
Tenorio fired 22 points in Game four, highlighted by the timely triples he made down the stretch to help his team to the 98-88 victory
The 14-year league veteran — who actually underwent a laparoscopic appendectomy weeks before the season restart — averaged 13.6 points, 6.2 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in the series.
