ANTIPOLO – Back spasm couldn’t have come at a worse time for Jordan Heading.
Struggling with a hurting back, the Converge rookie had one of his worst games in the PBA in the FiberXers’ 112-103 loss to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in their sudden-death encounter Sunday at the Ynares Center.
The former top pick in the special Gilas draft ended up with only three points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field in the deciding Game 3 of the quarterfinals series in the 49th Season Commissioner's Cup.
READ Rain or Shine beats Converge in Game 3, advances to PBA semis
His lone basket came in the third period on a corner 3. The Fil-Australian wingman also had five rebounds and four assists.
“Pretty disappointing,” was how Heading after the FiberXers' faipled bid to reach the semis for the first time in franchise history.
He said he’s been battling back spasm since Game 2 of the playoffs.
“My body can’t move, my legs they’re not really underneath me. Really, it’s a wrong timing to go on. But it is what it is. Just hope to be better,” Heading added.
Proof of how bad his back was, Heading had to wear a belt strap on his waist at halftime to help stretch his back and somehow ease the pain.
With Heading hurting, Converge obviously missed his outside scoring as he led all local FiberXers in scoring during the playoffs with a 25.0 average and a 38.1 percent shooting from three-point range.
It’s the second straight time the FiberXers lost in a do-or-die game in the quarterfinals following their Game 5 exit against San Miguel in the Governors’ Cup playoffs.
With more than a month to rest before the opening of the Philippine Cup, Heading hopes to have his back healed and get ready for the season-ending tournament.
“I just got to get my back right, take a little bit of a rest, get my mind right, and come back hungry, come back better,” he said.
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