FIRST it was TR7. Now it’s 'The Blur.’
Rookie RJ Abarrientos looks forward to his upcoming match-up with Jayson Castro in the PBA Governors Cup Finals pitting defending champion TNT and former title holder Barangay Ginebra.
Castro serves as the second straight marquee opponent the 25-year-old rookie will be facing in the playoff after being pitted against Terrence Romeo of San Miguel during the best-of-seven semifinals series, which the Kings won, 4-2.
READ RJ on idol Terrence: ‘Challenged akong bantayan, iskoran siya’
Now Asia’s two-time best point guard and eight-time PBA champion is next for Abarrientos in his first-ever finals foray in the league.
“Napapanood ko lang si kuya Jayson (Castro) siguro way back in high school or college. And then now sobrang nakaka-overwhelm na makakalaban mo siya sa finals. Sobrang grateful ako na isa siya sa makaka-match up ko sa TNT,” said Abarrientos during the pre-finals presser for the Tropang Giga-Kings title series on a stormy Thursday at the Enderun Colleges in Taguig.
Like the rest of the great and veteran players before him, the No. 3 overall pick in the recent rookie draft said he has nothing but utmost respect for the 38-year-old Castro, a five-time winner of the Best Player of the Conference award.
The two previously trained together at Gilas Pilipinas – Castro as part of the 5-on-5 team and Abarrientos with the 3x3 unit.
“Like kuya LA (Tenorio), yung respeto na binibigay ko lang din sa mga players tulad ni kuya Jayson, sobrang thankful lang ako na makalaban siya at excited ako na magkita kami sa Sunday sa first game ng finals,” said the former Far Eastern University star.
In the semifinals against the Beermen, Abarrientos averaged 13.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. He scored a conference high of 28 points in a 121-92 blowout in Game 4.
Castro has been bothered by a knee injury that kept him out for two games in the semis series against Rain or Shine, where he averaged 7.6 points, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 steals in 19 minutes of play per game.
“Siyempre, like kuya Terrence (Romeo), parehas kaming FEU, same lang rin kay kuya Jayson Castro, kay kuya Kelly Williams or yung matatagal na sa PBA. For me as a rookie, trabaho lang. Siyempre kailangan din makipag-compete kahit na mga idols mo (sila),” said Abarrientos.
The Ginebra guard expects Castro and the rest of the Tropang Giga will make like difficult for him in his first stint in the finals.
“Sigurado hindi nila ako pai-isahin. Sigurado yun like ng mga beterano at mga kuya natin,” Abarrientos said.
“Kaya for me, magiging ready lang ako.”
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