John Carlo Cañizares, Basketball Republic
AS a Hoops fan, we always tend to say injuries ruin everything. One example of which is the 2015 NBA Finals between Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, in which both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love who are key players for the Cavs, were both out due to injuries that eventually cost them the Larry O'Brien trophy.
We can say that the ongoing PBA Finals between Barangay Ginebra and TNT Tropang Giga is quite a roller coaster ride series for everybody due to the very close games. Both teams have the talents at their disposal, but, if key players get hurt or worse an injury happens, will the series become lopsided?
This is the case for Ray Parks Jr. whose return remains uncertain.
TNT has cut the lead to 1-2, but does Parks Jr.’s absence make it easier for Ginebra?
It was evident how the Tropang Giga missed the presence of Parks on Game Two as they lose to Ginebra 90-92. TNT couldn’t capitalize on the unproductive night for Ginebra's key players Scottie Thompson and LA Tenorio as they fell short due to a lack of support from other key players and bench players, thus, RR Pogoy’s onslaught of scoring more than 1/3 of the team’s total points to end his night with 38 points went to nothing.
In his Game Two postgame interview, Coach Tim Cone remarkably uttered these words in light of Ray Parks absence for TNT, "For us to think that it was going to be easier without Bobby Ray Parks was really wrong thinking on our part and that’s something we are going to have to try to correct as we move forward.”
The former UAAP and ABL MVP is a prolific scorer for TNT Tropang Giga and usually the go-to-guy in the final quarter of the game. He scored 20 points in Game One of the Philippine Cup Finals where they lost in overtime. However, as per the observation of some fans, he was not as explosive as he used to like in the semifinals where he usually goes all-out when it’s winning time and the game on the line.
He hurt his left calf in Game One, the same injury that kept him out against Alaska in their first game in the PBA Bubble. He missed Game Three won by TNT.
In the 2015 NBA Finals, where LeBron James led the Cavs in scoring, the “what if” on Irving and Love playing in that series may have the same result in 2016 where they won. So like here in Game Two, It’s just fair to think if TNT also had a second player who could have a 20+ output, it could possibly result in a win – who can be Ray Ray if he played.
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