Raymond Almazan admitted that he feels disappointed with his injury early in Game Three of the 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals clash between his Meralco Bolts and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on Sunday night.
The athletic 6-foot-8 forward suffered an apparent injury to his left knee just six minutes into the match after landing on Gin Kings guard LA Tenorio as he went up for a lay-up off a drive.
Almazan found it hard to stand up, and had to be aided by his fellow Bolts. He was then carried onto the team’s locker room before being attended to by league physician Wendell Lozano.
The six-year pro was then ruled out of the match during the halftime break, as per team manager Paolo Trillo. Almazan is set to undergo MRI to determine the extent of his injury.
“Sobrang disappointed ako. Naiyak nga ako sa dugout kasi kung kailan Finals — physically and mentally ready naman ako.
“Pero nangyayari ‘yung ganito. Mainis man ako wala na akong magagawa eh. Sobrang kailangan ako. Malaki maitutulong ko sa team namin,” lamented Almazan while on his way out of the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Almazan shared that he hasn’t suffered any knee injury in his career until now, making it even more frustrating for him. “Never ako na-injure sa tuhod. Ngayon lang,” said the 30-year-old native of Orion, Bataan.
Now, Almazan hopes that results will yield negative results and allow him to return to action immediately — this is his first Finals appearance since 2016, when he was still with Rain or Shine.
“Hopefully maganda ‘yung result at makabalik ako sa Game Four,” said the one-time PBA champion.
