Since it is, after all, a championship bout, things heated up in Game One of the 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals between long-time rivals TNT and San Miguel Sunday night.
But the KaTropa’s young 3-and-D specialist Roger Pogoy provided a bit of comic relief in the intense match.
Pogoy stuck out his tongue – or in local parlance, nambelat – at Beermen import Chris McCullough after he was able to force a turnover on the 6-foot-9 forward by stealing the ball from behind.
The 27-year-old is apologetic, though, explaining that emotions just got the best of him at the time.
“Sorry, sorry. Sorry, kasi nadala lang ako sa emosyon,” said Pogoy.
“Sorry. Nadala lang ako.”
Pogoy then said that McCullough is a tough player to guard, something evident in the numbers – the former NBA cager had 33 points and 15 rebounds.
“Sobrang hirap depensahan talaga kasi six-nine pa, ako six-two lang,” said the Far Eastern University product.
But Pogoy and Texters proved to be too much to handle for McCullough and the Beermen. TNT eventually won in convincing fashion, 109-96, to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven affair.
Pogoy himself finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, and three steal. He also liked how TNT had played well to take the early lead. Still, he insisted that the series has a long way to go.
“Siguro maganda lang yung nilaro namin. Ready kami ngayong Game One, pero malayo pa, kasi best-of-seven ‘to.”
