RAYMOND Almazan hopes his biggest fear doesn’t come true.
Not now that he’s back playing in the semifinals.
The Meralco center went down with a suspected calf injury on the day the Bolts formalized their entry in the PBA Governors Cup semifinals with a 94-84 win over Alaska Aces at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Almazan hurt his leg inside the final five minutes and left the game for good with Meralco holding on to an 84-77 lead.
He finished with eight points and three rebounds.
“Sana huwag naman. Not this time,” he said of his hurting left calf. “Huwag ngayon kasi ang ganda ng nilalaro ng team namin.’
Almazan has been down that road before, having injured the same calf while still with Rain or Shine.
“Alam ko na yung calf injury, e. Kasi nag-tighten siya kanina pagbagsak ko pagka-dunk (ko). Natapakan ko yata si Frank House, kaya pagbagsak ko naramdaman ko na,” he said.
The lanky big man is set to undergo ultrasound on Monday to know the extent of the injury.
And Almazan could only hope for the best.
“Titignan kung merong napunit, pero sana wala naman,” he said. “Pero sana nga huwag naman ngayon kasi maganda ang nilalaro ko, maganda ang nilalaro ng team. Tsaka yung mindset ko every game straightforward and stay healthy.”
The good news is that Meralco will have a long break going to the semifinals, which won’t start until Dec. 13 after the league gives way to the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games.
“We have a long break so sana maka-recover,” Almazan said.
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