POY Erram admitted it was a poor choice on his part to show his frustrations in public during Game 2 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals.
Erram said he has moved on from an incident last Sunday that saw him throw a fit for a call that he didn't get, kicking TNT’s cooler on the bench before storming back to the dugout where he also kicked the team’s bags in the hallway.
While it is natural to show emotions when frustrated, Erram said he should have not made a scene in public, especially being in the PBA.
READ Poy Erram in yet another outburst
“Be aware kung ano ‘yung kaya mong kontrolin,” said the 35-year-old Erram, when asked what the team told him after the incident. “Siyempre, minsan, ‘yung platform namin, iba. Kung sa iba naman ako naglalaro, wala namang pakialam mga tao, di ba?
"Siyempre, PBA ito. Kung ano ‘yung makita ng mga tao sa social media, gagawa sila ng narrative.”
“Siyempre, normal lang naman sa tao na ‘yung maglabas ng emotions kasi gusto manalo. Ang mali ko lang siguro, masyadong nakita ng maraming tao. Siyempre, in a way, role model kami sa mga bata. ‘Yun ‘yung pinakamali na ginawa ko.
"For me, ano lang naman siya, frustrations, lalo na talo kami sa last game. Ganun talaga,” said Erram.
With the incident already behind him, the 6-foot-8 Erram recalibrated for Game 3 last Friday where he had a decent performance in the 17 minutes that he was on the floor, making five points on a perfect 2-of-2 shooting from the fieldincluding a three-pointer.
He also had three rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in the 87-85 win over Ginebra that gave the Tropang Giga a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
“Nag-refocus naman ako at na-realize ko naman kung ano ‘yung mali talaga. Nag-adjust ako, tinulungan ako ng mga teammates ko, lalo na mga coaches. They reminded me na kailangan ako ng team.
"Kailangan kami ni Kuya Kelly (Williams) sa loob ng court. Kapag wala kaming dalawa, nahihirapan talaga ‘yung team. Liliit talaga kami sa loob,” said Erram.
Beating Ginebra tough - with or without Brownlee
The TNT big man and the rest of his teammates now move forward to Game 4 where the Tropang Giga will be gunning for a 3-1 lead and facing the prospects of playing Ginebra without Brownlee due to a dislocated right thumb.
“Hindi mo rin sasabihing advantage kasi all-Filipino sila, nahirapan pa nga kami. Breaks of the game talaga. Kahit tanggalin mo si Brownlee sa team, they still have Japeth [Aguilar], Scottie [Thompson], Troy [Rosario], Jamie [Malonzo].
"Hindi lang naman si Brownlee ang binabantayan namin. Babantayan namin ‘yung lima sa loob ng court. And then, ‘yung mga ginagawa nila coach Tim [Cone], ‘yung adjustments niya. Kailangan din naming mag-adjust kasi nagpapraktis din ng professional ‘yung kalaban namin.”
“Hindi siya in a way advantage kasi alam namin malakas sila. Hindi naman madali ‘yung series na ‘to. Alam namin na mahihirapan kami sa series, ‘yung past three games dikit,” said Erram.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
