CJ Perez. PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—San Miguel absorbed its first loss in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the hands of Converge on Saturday night, ending the Beermen’s sizzling hot start at five games.
But that hardly put a dent in the confidence of spitfire guard CJ Perez—easily the finest local during the 107-103 loss at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
“This is just one game. We still have plenty left and all of that is a chance to get back up. This is going to be a long conference,” Perez said in Filipino after putting up 28 points and five rebounds.
It truly a long campaign for the vaunted club, which is hoping to win a second crown this season after tabbing the Philippine Cup.
As things stand, the Beermen still have games against NorthPort, Barangay Ginebra, TNT, NLEX, and then Rain or Shine, and their early wins are enough to keep them comfortable in the race for a playoff spot should they encounter hiccups along the way.
“We have no excuse,” he went on. “We played our San Miguel’s brand of basketball and Converge did. They hit free throws, too.”
Perez said he still finds some silver lining in the stunning defeat.
The Beermen kept it close down the stretch, with Perez himself keeping the FiberXers within arm’s reach until the final minute.
“The consolation is that we were able to keep it close until the end,” he said.