JUNE Mar Fajardo had San Miguel fans worried in Game 7 of the PBA Philippine Cup finals when he got hurt in the final moments of the second quarter.
But the eight-time PBA MVP was quick to allay fears of another injury, saying that he only sustained tightness in his hamstring.
“Nag-tight lang ‘yung hamstring ko,” said Fajardo, who's already nursing a calf injury from Game 1 of the just-concluded semifinals. “Akala ko may nag-stretch ‘yung muscle. Pero ok lang naman. May pahinga naman kami… May therapy naman ako.”
The hamstring injury didn’t slow Fajardo down one bit, as he wound up with 21 points, 19 rebounds, and two blocks in the Beermen's 100-93 win over Barangay Ginebra to set up a date with TNT for the all-Filipino title.
READ: San Miguel outduels Ginebra in Game 7, gets shot at TNT in Finals
“Masaya kami na makakalaro uli kami sa finals,” said Fajardo. “’Yun ‘yung pinaghahandaan namin sa conference na ‘to. Pero alam naman namin na hindi ganun kadali na kalaban ang Talk ‘N Text. Kailangan naming gawin ‘yung kung ano ‘yung kailangan naming gawin. Paghahandaan namin sila.”
Two-fifths of SMB 'Death Five' come up big
Fajardo teamed up with Chris Ross in finally finishing off the Gin Kings, with the veteran guard turning in 19 points, seven assists, and four steals.
“Credit kay Chris Ross, pinakita niya ‘yung pagiging beterano niya. Hopefully, maraming matutunan ‘yung mga point guards namin sa pinakita niya, sa leadership niya,” said Fajardo of his longtime teammate.
This early, the 6-foot-10 'Kraken' said SMB will be forced to put to the test by the Grand Slam-seeking Tropang Giga, a team that is known to play a fast-paced style.
“Takbuhan ‘yung game ng Talk ‘N Text. Paghahandaan namin ‘yun. Sa ngayon, hindi muna namin iniisip ‘yun. Kailangan ng pahinga, kain nang marami, at matulong nang marami,” Fajardo added.
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