The on-going 2018 PBA Philippine Cup Finals has been a struggle for reigning Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo.
After averaging 22.9 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 1.81 blocks prior to the series, the 6-foot-11 big man has been limited. In Game One, he was forced to commit 11 turnovers while two days later, he shot just 5-of-12 from the field for 12 points.
Fortunately for Fajardo, a lot of his teammates stepped up to even the series after a 92-77 win.
“Maganda yung depensa ng kabila. Yun ang binibigay nila sa amin,” shared the seven-year pro, as he faced double and triple teams all throughout Game Two. “Yun ang tine-take namin. Okay lang na iba ang umiscore.
“Credit din sa teammates ko, nag-step up sila, si Brian (Heruela), si Billy (Mamaril). Yung mga pinasok ni coach, nag-step up. Sana tuloy-tuloy.”
The Beermen will have a seven-day break before returning to the court on Sunday for Game Three.
However, there won’t be any rest for the weary, as coach Leo Austria has a lot in store for them during the Holy Week.
“Definitely, we’ll give them a long rest, 24 hours,” the reigning Coach of the Year quipped.
“Then we will practice on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Let’s see how hard they work in practice, then maybe I will give them another day to reflect, dahil it’s Holy Week and baka magalit ‘yung nagbibigay sa amin ng blessings.”
“Parehong may advantage sa parehong teams. Sila pagod sila galing semis, kami napagod din kami so kailangan din naming magpahinga,” added Fajardo.
“Kailangan lang naming gamitin ng maayos yun, mag-practice kami. ‘Di kami puwedeng mag-relax, hindi namin puwedeng isipin na bakasyon yung one week na yun. Kailangang gamitin namin ng maayos para ready kami sa Game Three.”
