JERICHO Cruz said he has absolutely no idea where TNT team manager Jojo Lastimosa is coming from after being the target of the fiery tirade from the PBA-legend-turned-executive in the aftermath of the Game 4 of thePhilippine Cup Finals.
Shortly after the game which San Miguel won 105-91 to go ahead 3-1 in the championship series, Lastimosa made a scathing rant against the veteran guard’s antics and celebrations – saying ‘he has problems’ among other things.
READ Jericho Cruz earns Jolas' ire: 'Dinadaan n'ya lahat sa yabang'
Cruz, who finished with a game-high 23 points in the win, played down the Lastimosa rant after the game.
“Wala talaga akong alam, promise,” Cruz responded when pressed by reporters about Lastimosa’s comments post-game.
“Wala akong problema kay coach Jolas, kilala ko naman siya at kilala niya ako. Palagi ko siya kasama sa NLEX, every morning nagsho-shooting kami kaya nagulat ako na sinabi mo sa'kin na ako yung kaaway, wala talaga akong alam,” he said.
There was an incident in the dying seconds of the game where Cruz pulled a streetball move on Almond Vosotros, fake-throwing the ball in his face after being fouled by the ex-La Salle guard.
Cruz said he was merely responding to Vosotros’ hit.
“Wala naman akong ginagawang masama e, tumatalon-talon lang ako, tinira ako ni Vosotros edi ginanun [fake-ball throw] ko din siya,” he said.
And if Cruz might have been too animated with his celebrations, he insists that it was just out of mere joy – and that he’s not even directing his celebration toward any player, let alone the TNT bench.
"Showboating? Di ko naman tinitignan sila coach Jolas," Cruz stated.
“Wala naman akong ginawang masama eh, patapos na yung laro, tumatalon-talon lang ako siyempre masaya ako panalo kami e. Di naman showboating yun,” he said.
“Di ko naman siya tinignan, di ko alam yun."
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