JUNE Mar Fajardo could only shake his head seeing TNT Katropa roll past San Miguel in the opener of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup title series, but he believes he knows how the Beermen can quickly bounce back.
More than Terrence Jones' prowess, Fajardo stressed two key points which led to the Beermen's downfall: three-point shooting and offensive rebounding.
"Ang dami nilang naipasok na three-points at ang dami rin nilang offensive rebounds," noted Fajardo, who led the spirited third quarter run for San Miguel, scoring 14 of his 23 points in the frame but could only get the Beermen within 13 points.
TNT shot 13-of-38 from beyond the arc, a cool 34-percent clip, to San Miguel's 5-of-24, good for only 20-percent.
The KaTropa also hauled 18 of their 47 rebounds off the offensive boards, turning those to 26 second chance points. Compare that to the Beermen's 14 offensive rebounds as they grabbed 43 boards in total, only scoring 17 in the second serving.
Devastating as this series opener may have been, Fajardo urged his side to not lose hope, knowing that it takes four wins to take home the chip.
"Bawi lang kami, di pa naman huli. Mahaba pa ang series at makakabangon pa kami. Positive lang. Kailangan lang naming ayusin yung mga yun sa practice at i-execute ang plays namin ng maayos," he said.
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