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Nine times out of ten, June Mar Fajardo would easily make a basket from five feet.
It just unfortunate for San Miguel Beer that the rarest of times Fajardo would miss from close range came on Sunday night in an all-important game against rival Meralco.
Trailing, 102-101, the Beermen had a chance to take the lead inside the final 10 seconds and they wisely went to the reigning three-time PBA MVP to bail them out.
Fajardo shot over Bolts import Allen Durham but his floater came up short as it hit the front rim.
“It was my fault. It was a good look and I missed that final shot. We should have won,” said a frustrated Fajardo in Filipino after the Beermen’s 104-101 defeat.
The loss didn’t just cause San Miguel the game, but also a seat in the top four as they wound up in sixth place heading into the quarterfinals.
The Cebuano giant went hard on himself despite posting a team-best 26 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks.
“I won’t be able to sleep tonight. I’m really sorry and I promise to bounce back,” he said.
San Miguel will now have to beat defending champion Barangay Ginebra twice in the quarterfinals for its Grand Slam bid to go on. A win by the Gin Kings on Wednesday would send the Beermen into an early exit.
“We’re still not out. We still have a chance to win. We just have to stay positive. Our will is still strong and we’ll take this one game at a time even though we have to go through the eye of the needle,” he said.