Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
League MVP June Mar Fajardo is usually a matchup problem for teams with his combination of size and speed.
And yet on Friday in the crucial Game 5 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals between San Miguel and TNT, Fajardo was on the bench for the pivotal fourth quarter.
That move from Beermen head coach Leo Austria, though, was actually one way of stopping the KaTropa.
To counteract the power of TNT’s hulking 300-pounder Joshua Smith, Austria chose speed over strength and that meant sitting out Fajardo.
But the reigning PBA MVP said he doesn’t mind sitting on the bench, as long as they walked away with the 111-102 and took a 3-2 series lead.
“That’s okay with me, we won right? We just have to believe in coach’s system and of course we have to support coach,” said Fajardo, who finished nine points and five rebounds.
What resulted was San Miguel holding on in the fourth quarter after pounding TNT 36-18 in the third period.
San Miguel also put up 23 points off TNT’s 24 turnovers and 28 points in transition.
“The game sped up, that was the game plan, it worked and we won,” said Fajardo. “We’re happy but it doesn’t mean we’ll start celebrating because we still have to win on Sunday.”