MERALCO guard CJ Cansino is playing with a fractured nose that requires him to wear a mask while on the court.
And he admitted it’s been a struggle for him ever since suffering the injury in Game 1 of their PBA 50th Season Commissioner’s Cup semifinals against TNT.
“May fracture daw. Ang sabi, mag-mask lang ako para gumaling yung fracture,” he said. “Mahirap. Para kang kabayo na limited yung vision mo.”
Be that as it may, Cansino didn’t let the hassle of wearing a mask affect his game and delivered in crunch time of the Bolts’ 101-90 win over the defending champion Tropang 5G that evened their best-of-seven showdown at two games apiece.
READ: Cansino's four douses TNT rally, helps Meralco draw level at 2-2
The sophomore player hit the dagger four-point shot at the 1:21 mark of the final frame that put Meralco in safer ground against the fighting TNT side, 97-90.
He ended up with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting and added two rebounds in 27 minutes of play.
Cansino expects to wear the mask the rest of the semis series – or in the finals, should the Bolts get to advance.
“Sanayin ko na lang na mag-mask,” he said. “Kapag tinamaan kasi siya ulit, baka ma-dislocate na siya at kailangan na siyang maoperahan.”
No masking the struggle
Just like Ginebra guard RJ Abarrientos who wore a mask after getting hit on the nose by Rain or Shine's Jhonard Clarito, Cansino said putting one on is truly bothersome.
Unlike Abarrientos who quickly took the mask off, though, Cansino bore with it.
But it wasn’t easy.
“Nung una, talagang struggling kasi hindi naman kami nakapag-practice. One day lang yung pagitan nung mga games, so pinag-decide ako kung gagamitin ko ba o hindi,” he said.
"Nag-reps na lang ako sa practice nang marami talaga, as in every day, nagre-reps ako hanggang sa masanay ako and masasabi ko naman na nakatulong naman yun.”
His Game 4 heroics proved it.
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