WINNING his first PBA championship was a bright moment for super rookie Paul Lee before he goes under the knife on Monday to repair a dislocated left shoulder.
“At least bago ako operahan maganda yung nangyari sa akin ngayong gabi,” said the Rookie of the Year, dripping in water and champagne as he celebrated with the entire Elasto Painters team inside the chaotic Rain or Shine dugout shortly after they bagged the Governors Cup title on Sunday.
Rain or Shine won the winner-take-all game – and the series – over a favored B-Meg side, 83-76, in the absence of Lee, who aggravated his shoulder injury in Game Two, and spent the rest of the Finals cheering for his squad from the bench.
But even without him, the Elasto Painters proved up to the task as the franchise won their breakthrough title in six years in the league.
And Lee couldn’t be proud of what his much-maligned teammates had just achieved.
“Masaya ako para sa mga teammates ko, pinakita kasi nila na kaya nilang manalo kahit wala ako,” said the crack point guard out of University of the East.
He also said there was really no plan to field him in the final seconds of Game Seven even if the outcome of the match was already beyond doubt.
“Simula pa lang nung sinabihan ako ni coach Yeng na hindi ako lalaro sa series, alam ko hindi na talaga ako ipapasok pa,” he admitted.
Nonetheless, he is still happy and proud of himself even if he was not inside the playing court during the greatest moment in Rain or Shine’s franchise history.
“Masaya ito para sa rookie, dahil sa tatlong conferences, nakakuha ako ng isang championship,” Lee said.
The Rain or Shine rookie is set to undergo operation at the Cardinal Santos Hospital on Monday afternoon.
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