Rey Nambatac bared that he threw up before entering the last two quarters of TNT’s PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup semifinal opener versus Rain or Shine on Wednesday and that proved to be of big help in easing the tension within.
The lefty guard moved more freely unlike in the first half, so much so that he poured 11 in the third quarter alone to lead the Tropang Giga’s reversal before Rondae Hollis-Jefferson closed it out to complete the fightback.
“Marami ‘di nakakaalam, sumuka ako ng start ng second half,” disclosed Nambatac, who finished with 14 points in their 90-81 victory, to reporters at the Philsports Arena in Pasig. “Sumakit ‘yung tiyan ko eh, iba ‘yung kinain ko eh.
“Pero tingin ko, ‘yun ‘yung naging factor. Kasi gumaan ‘yung pakiramdam ko. Kaya nung first half, sobrang bigat ko talaga. Hindi ako makatakbo, nahirapan akong huminga,” added the 30-year-old, who also grabbed nine rebounds.
Surely, Nambatac having his way proved difficult for the Elasto Painters as their former star, of all people, led the defending champions in erasing their narrow 43-39 halftime lead through a 36-23 retaliation in the aforementioned canto.
But it was a tad hard on the part of the Cagayan de Oro native, too, to be doing so against the very franchise where he began his journey in the pros.
“Mixed emotions eh,” he described. “Parang, nandoon ‘yung kaba na may halong excitement. Kasi siyempre, itinuring ko rin namang tunay na pamilya ‘yung mga ‘yan. Tagal din namin magkasama diyan.”
And facing Rain or Shine in the playoffs was earlier than he hoped for, as it happened just a conference after being moved by his old team.
“Isang conference lang ang nakalipas, sila kaagad ‘yung nakaharap ko,” reflected Nambatac, who was shipped to Blackwater prior to the Season 48 Philippine Cup last February before being sent to TNT just last July.
“Sabi ko nga, ‘di ba pwedeng next year na kami magkaharap? Kasi parang ambilis naman ng pangyayari. Pero siguro may reason kung bakit nagharap kami kaagad,” the seventh pick of the 2017 Rookie Draft added.
But he knows as well that he has to be a pro in handling such matters, thus the performance he put up that enabled TNT to get the 1-0 series lead.
There’s also that added motivation within, stemming from his eagerness to reach the PBA Finals — something he’s never done in his career.
“Isa pa sa mga nakakatawa nga sa journey ko rito sa PBA, sa seven years ko, never pa ‘ko naka-experience ng Finals appearance,” he said.
“For me, ito ‘yung pinaka-best opportunity, best shot ko na maka-experience naman ng PBA Finals. Kaya siguro, maganda ‘yung nilalaro ko, dahil motivated ako. ‘Yun talaga ‘yung lagi kong mindset every game, every practice.”
Quite ironic, though, that he will have to chase that against his former ball club. Still, there remains the love for Rain or Shine, and also a sense of pride in seeing his old teammates flourish into the players that they’ve become.
“Masaya rin ako kahit papano, na bago ako mag-exit sa team ng ROS, marami rin akong natulungang mga bata,” said Nambatac. “Especially on the offensive side, decision making, which is nakikita ko ngayon sa mga game nila.
“Proud din ako sa sarili ko na, ‘Hoy, ako nagturo niyan,'” he added.
“Iba rin sa feeling, nandoon pa rin ‘yung pagmamahal natin doon sa team. Siyempre, kung hindi dahil sa kanila, wala rin naman tayo rito eh. All love lang.”
