MYLES Powell shot down the idea that he faked his injury even if he looked like he hardly skipped a beat in Bay Area’s 87-84 win over Barangay Ginebra in Game Six of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals on Wednesday.
Myles Powell on not faking his injury
Declared out for the rest of the conference due to a foot injury, the reactivated Dragons import suited up and scattered 29 points, five three-pointers, seven boards, and three assists in over 35 minutes off the bench.
But he insisted his torn toe tendon has yet to heal completely after sustaining the injury in practice right before the playoffs started, prompting the Dragons to turn to Andrew Nicholson initially.
“I’m still not healthy,” Powell said when asked about the idea he was healthy all along. “I’m still not a hundred percent. That was my first time running up and down since three days before Thanksgiving since our last game.”
“When I came and got hurt, it was the first practice that we came back from break,” he added. “We finished before everybody because we played a lot of games early, so we had two weeks off and as soon as we came back the first practice, that happens, I mess my toe up.”
Still, the 25-year-old NBA veteran looked like he never left after playing for the first time since their last elimination-round game last November 23, a 140-108 win against TNT.
“I was winded,” Powell insisted. “You see I didn’t start. I didn’t start the third quarter. Coach didn’t really play me that much, but I did what I could with the time I was out there.”
Asked if he has a message to those doubting his injury, Powell, would rather let his performance in Game Seven do the talking.
“Job’s not finished. We got one more. So Sunday, we’re going to come, we’re going to battle. And hopefully then, I have something to say,” he ended with a smile.
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