Vic Manuel allayed fears of a major injury after sitting out Game One of San Miguel’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinal duel with Converge, Wednesday.
The 35-year-old said that he actually wanted to play despite experiencing tightness in his left iliotibial band (ITB). Still, he ultimately heeded the advice of acting head coach Jorge Gallent to rest as a precautionary measure.
Still, he made sure to be there for his teammates, providing support from the sidelines as the Beermen bagged home the 114-96 victory.
“Pinahinga ko lang ‘yung legs ko kasi nag-swell ‘yung kaliwang tuhod ko, kasi sa sobrang tight nung ITB,” he said after the match at the Philsports Arena.
“Pinahinga ko lang kahapon. Dapat maglalaro talaga ako ngayon, sinabi ni Coach Jorge ipahinga ko na lang para next game. Baka kasi mas lumala pa pinilit kong ilaro ngayon. Pinahinga ko na lang,” he added.
The ‘Muscle Man’ hadn’t missed a game in the mid-season conference until Wednesday, no thanks to the said knee problem.
Prior to sitting out, Manuel was averaging 11.3 points and 3.3 rebounds. He played a vital role in SMB’s four straight wins to finish the eliminations.
He definitely would’ve preferred to be out there on the court. Still, the veteran forward is glad to witness his squad reign victorious, which also enabled the reigning champions to move a win away from the semis.
“Lahat naman ng teammates ko kasi, nag-step up ngayon. Maganda ‘yung nilalaro namin, saka ‘yung mga teammate ko kahit ‘di ako naglalaro.
“Talagang pinakita nila na gusto nila makuha ‘yung Game One. Alam mo naman, San Miguel ‘to eh. Kailangan bigay mo lahat,” he said.
And there’s still Game Two on Saturday, which Manuel vowed to play in as San Miguel aims to finish the best-of-three affair.
“Sigurado na ‘yun,” he said.
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
