BACK in the PBA finals, Rey Nambatac is looking to make up for lost time.
The deadly guard has vengeance in his eyes, as he plays in his first Philippine Cup title series against San Miguel after missing out the previous one due to a groin injury.
READ: Rey Nambatac savors miraculous manner of TNT's finals return
With Nambatac out during the playoffs of last season's All-Filipino, the Tropang 5G went through the wringer and needed to win twice against Magnolia in the quarterfinals to advance, survived another tough test from Rain or Shine in the semis before arranging a championship showdown with the Beermen.
But with injuries taking its toll during the course of the finals, SMB finished off TNT and the latter's Grand Slam bid in six games.
Now with a shot at going for his first Philippine Cup crown, Nambatac hopes to help the franchise win the one that got away from them the last time.
“Ito na yung chance ko to prove something sa mga tao na nagda-down sa akin,” said the former Letran star guard without elaborating.
“Ang tagal kong hinintay ito, ang tagal kong pinagdasal ito na sana makaabot kami sa finals at makapag-champion.”
Nambatac was coming off a first ever Finals MVP following the Tropang 5G's Commissioner’s Cup championship when he suffered the groin injury against Meralco in the Philippine Cup eliminations last season when he and his teammates were aiming for a rare Grand Slam.
Although he was good enough to play before the quarterfinals, the coaching staff and management eventually decided to leave him out of the playoff roster owing to the unpredictability of his injury.
Ready and raring Rey
But he came back strong and healthier for the new season where he averaged 11.6 points (fourth-best in the team), 3.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists to help TNT reach the finals for the fourth straight time.
In the five-game semis, he submitted numbers of 11.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and knocked down the clutch four-point shot that anchored the Tropang 5G's great come-from-behind 99-96 win in the series-clincher.
“Laking pasalamat ko sa mga taong hindi sumuko sa akin. So itong fourth straight finals ko para sa mga taong naniwala sa akin. Credit to them,” he said without mentioning any names.
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