SAN Miguel Beer guard Marcio Lassiter said he had no intention of hurting Jericho Cruz after fouling the Rain or Shine guard in the waning seconds of Game Three of the Smart Bro-PBA Philippine Cup semifinals.
Lassiter was forced to foul Cruz late in the game after the Beermen came up empty in their previous play and the Elasto Painters up by a slim 107-106 margin.
Unfortunately, Cruz injured his right knee as he landed awkwardly following the collision with Lassiter.
Cruz was later wheeled out of the court on a stretcher as he failed to see Rain or Shine eke out a 111-106 win for a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Asked about the unfortunate incident after the game, Lassiter made it clear he was all after the ball.
“I went for the ball and that was it,” said Lassiter. “There was no intentions of trying to hurt Jericho. I was just going for the ball.
Lassiter said he even reached out to Cruz following the play.
“When I saw him lying on the floor, I went over and tap his leg to tell him what I’m telling you guys right now,” Lassiter told reporters.
“I was going for the ball. There were no intentions to hurt him.”
Lassiter also said he is not the type of player who will try to hurt someone on the basketball court.
“I’m not that type of player,” he said.
