CJ Perez tipped his hat to Chris Newsome for leading Meralco to a breakthrough championship in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup.
“Talagang ni-lead niya yung Meralco. I’m so proud of him and deserve niya 'yung Finals MVP,” Perez said of his Gilas Pilipinas teammate. “Tthey deserve it kasi talagang pinaghirapan nila, binigay nila yung effort at gustong-gusto talaga nila.”
Newsome was the biggest thorn in the side of San Miguel in a failed title-retention bid, highlighting a Finals MVP-worthy performance with the game-winning jumper with 1.3 seconds remaining in Game Six.
READ Newsome on game-winner: 'It's a shot I work on all the time’
Perez, on the other hand, struggled in the last two games of the best-of-seven series.
Although he scored 17 in Game Five, Perez shot an atrocious 1-of-11 clip from inside the arc. Game Six wasn’t any better as he put up 14 points, nine boards, and four assists but shot only 1-of-6 from deep.
The former Lyceum star isn’t shying away from these off days. Rather, he’s taking it as a motivation as the Beermen look to bounce back next season.
“Continue pa rin sa ginagawa namin. We’re not gonna stop. May struggles pero pinagdadaanan talaga yun ng mga players,” he said.
“Masakit yung pagkatalo pero ganoon talaga yung basketball. Di natin masabi kung kailan ka mananalo o matatalo. Kami naman, we tried our best."
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
