Ferrer on Rice ejection: ‘I didn’t do anything’

Kevin Ferrer. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net

Kevin Ferrer said he did not do anything out of the ordinary that may have caused TNT import Glen Rice Jr. to reach his boiling point in Game 4.

The Ginebra rookie thinks that it was just Rice’s frustrations that got the better of him and led to his early ejection.

“I didn’t do anything. All I’m doing is what Brownlee has been doing to him on defense,” Ferrer said in Filipino.

Ferrer admitted he was caught by surprise with Rice’s actions with 1:41 left in the first quarter, especially with TNT firmly in control of the game early on.

“I was denying him the ball, and then he choked me. I was surprised,” he recalled, as the alleged choke saw him hit the floor after Greg Slaughter’s made basket that sliced the deficit down to 12, 23-35.

Rice, then, threw the ball at Ferrer as Ginebra sued for time and a fracas ensued.

The former UST forward claims he didn’t do anything dirty.

“I was looking at their coaches and they were also restraining him. If I did something, I’m sure they will call me out, but they didn’t.”

Emotions were on a high in the best-of-5 series and Ferrer thinks that Rice’s inability to adapt to PBA’s level of physicality led to his demise in what was an all-important Game 4 for TNT.

“I didn’t say anything and I was just physical. I think he wasn’t really able to adjust to the style of basketball here,” he said.

Ferrer and the Gin Kings were able to close out the KaTropa, 115-105, and advance to the best-of-7 finals against Meralco.

“I’ll continue doing my part and and whatever role coach Tim (Cone) gives to me. We just have to show our never say die attitude always,” he said.