THE marquee matchup between CJ Perez and Chris Newsome serves as an interesting sidebar to the San Miguel-Meralco PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
One of the league’s most prolific scorers against one of the league’s top defensive players.
While Newsome isn’t certain yet if he’ll have Perez as his defensive assignment, the 33-year-old Fil-Am said he’s ready to take on the challenge just in case.
He added, it’s going to be like Gilas Pilipinas scrimmages all over again.
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“I don’t know if CJ is going to be my assignment for the whole series or anything like that because there might be some match-up changes,” said Newsome. “But I’m just excited to go out there. It’s just like a little bit of a Gilas practice, you know. Sometimes we're not on the same team and I have to guard him full game in practice.
“So it’s definitely a challenge for me. You know me, I’m a defensive guy. I love challenges whenever it comes to trying to make it hard for my opponent.”
The Meralco guard will definitely have his hands full in the finals that starts on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as Perez leads the star-studded San Miguel crew in scoring in the playoffs, averaging 20.25 points per game and shooting 42 percent from the floor.
Perez also hauls in 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and a league best 1.7 steals a game.
“CJ is one of the fierce competitors that I’ve ever played against. I know him really well. We got a lot of success together as teammates,” said Newsome.
Perez and Newsome did team up in several gold-medal performances by Gilas Pilipinas, notably as part of the 3x3 team during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, the 2023 Gilas unit which regained the title in the Cambodia SEA Games, and later, with the hurriedly-assembled national squad that won back the Asian Games championship after 61 long years in Hangzhou, China.
For the 30-year-old Perez, the feeling is mutual.
“Si New kabisado niya na kung paano ako laruin. So I’m just going to play within the system and kung ano yung ibato niya sa akin na depensa, talagang paghahandaan ko,” said the Best Player of the Conference in the last Commissioner’s Cup.
Defensive lynchpin
“Kilala naman natin si New, magaling siyang dumipensa talaga. Sa Gilas, he’s the one na dumidipensa sa mga best players ng kabilang team.”
And Newsome can score, too.
He averaged team-highs 17.1 points to go with 4.0 assists as he led Meralco to an upset of Barangay Ginebra in their best-of-seven semis.
“Kaya sobrang excited ako kung ano yung magagawa ko (against him) at magagawa ng team namin sa finals,” said Perez.
Newsome is also looking forward of playing against Perez in the league's biggest stage.
“CJ is definitely one of the best we have in the league as far as being aggressive, attacking the basket, can score on multiple levels, and can shoot the threes,” said the guard out of Ateneo.
“I’m not saying that I’ll be able to stop him, but my job is to make it difficult for him also.”
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