JAYSON Castro was not around in the final two minutes of Game 1 of TNT’s semifinal series against Rain or Shine in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, but it wasn’t by choice.
Castro was forced to sit the crucial stage of the Tropang Giga’s 88-84 win over the Elasto Painters after being called for a flagrant foul penalty one. The incident happened after Castro, while high in the air, appeared to have hit Andrei Caracut in the face with his foot with 1:59 left in the match.
READ: TNT relies on Castro, defense to thwart Rain or Shine in Game One
When asked about missing the final moments of Game 1 during the postgame press conference, Castro was quick to apologize to Caracut for the unintentional incident before responding.
“By the way, sorry talaga. Sobrang aksidente ‘yung nangyari kasi ‘yung momentum niya, going to the ball na at pa-fastbreak na. And then, nasa ere ako, hindi ko naman control ‘yung mangyayari,” said Castro.
“Sorry talaga kay Andrei pero alam naman niya ‘yun."
Castro’s night ended prematurely due to the incident, leaving TNT without their top guard in the final moments. Caracut hit two free throws after the flagrant foul, cutting the Rain or Shine deficit to three, 87-84. As it turned out, it was the last time RoS scored in Game 1.
The TNT veteran guard said he wasn’t overly concerned about his absence since he trusts his fellow guards in the team to take over.
“Ready naman sila. At the same time, ‘yung trust ko naman sa other guards, nandoon talaga,” said Castro, who led the offense for TNT by scoring 24 points while connecting on 6 of 7 from threes.
But overall, Castro said the reason for TNT’s win over Rain or Shine in Game 1 was defense when the Tropang Giga made key stops to secure the four-point victory.
Castro said Rondae Hollis-Jefferson set the tone for TNT on defense despite his off night where he shot 8 of 27 from the field.
“To be honest, ang nagpapanalo sa amin is ‘yung defense talaga. Even si RHJ, ‘yung average scoring niya hindi ganun (kalaki) pero on defense, siya ‘yung pinaka-anchor namin doon. Siya ‘yung nagdidikta sa amin, four blocks siya. So give credit to RHJ na kahit off-night niya, ‘yung depensa niya, nandoon,” said the 38-year-old Castro.
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