LA Tenorio didn’t hide his frustration over a call against him to the point that he got slapped with a technical foul late in the first half of Ginebra’s Game Six meeting with Meralco in the 2021-22 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals, Friday night.
The 37-year-old made the referees hear his piece when he was whistled for a blocking foul on Aaron Black, who drove from the right for a bucket and eventually completed a three-point play to give the Bolts a two-point lead.
“Too much emotion, especially with this kind of game,” he explained. “Siyempre on our part, we really wanted to finish this game.
“Katulad nga ng sinabi ni Coach Tim noong halftime, he likes the passion and yung gigil to win, but nagiging out of control,” he added.
That display of emotion made Tenorio recall the comparison he drew with PBA great Jojo Lastimosa in the eyes of his long-time coach Tim Cone.
“Before, kinu-compare niya ako kay Jolas because I’m very emotional sa game,” said the former Alaska star himself. “Kino-compare niya ako dati, grabe ako, nagsasagutan kami ni Coach Tim. Ganoon din daw si Jolas.
“Dati kinu-compare niya ako doon because of that attitude. But he likes the passion,” added the 15-year veteran.
But the ‘Jolas’ comparison wasn’t all about that. For Cone, the way Tenorio delivered in Game Six was reminiscent of ‘The Fourth Quarter Man.’
The league’s Ironman came through with easily his best performance of the season, firing a game-high 30 points — 11 of which he made in the payoff period — power the Kings to a 103-92 win for successful title retention.
Photo by PBA Images
“That’s LA,” said Cone, now an owner of 24 titles. “He was a little up and down in this series, but whenever we really needed him to step up, he stepped up.
“I used a comparison of Jojo Lastimosa. He was the same type of guy. Jojo could struggle through a game, or struggle through a series. But when you needed him most to step up, especially in that fourth quarter, he hit big shots.
“And that’s what LA does for us. He makes big plays, he makes big shots, and he took over the game in that fourth quarter. He really, truly did,” he added. “And, he’s a kid who loves to win, and knows how to win.”
Tenorio definitely knows how to, especially in recollecting himself. “I made sure noong halftime na upo lang ako, meditate nang onti, pikit lang onti, hinga lang onti, then focus na sa laro,” said the now seven-time champion.
And by doing so, his game came out, leading to his seventh 30-point outing overall — four against Meralco, per PBA stats chief Fidel Mangonon III.
Photo by PBA Images
“Nagkakataon talaga ‘pag sa ganitong klaseng game, lumalabas ‘yung instinct, ‘yung basketball instinct. Parang sa ganitong game kasi, it doesn’t matter na kung ano yung X and Os, kung ano yung game plan,” he said.
“The thing is the in-game adjustment, kung papaano babasahin yung game. Kanina opportunity lang talaga for me kasi they’re really focusing on Scottie and Justin. It showed kanina kasi si Justin, he had only one attempt in the first half,” the Ateneo legend added.
“‘Yung ganoong klaseng opportunity talaga for me, I’ve been waiting for that actually. They were really focusing on Scottie and Justin. The whole series, I’ve been waiting for that talaga.”
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