San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo is consoled by Ginebra’s Japeth Aguilar during the PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ
San Miguel’s hopes of another appearance in the PBA Finals went down in flames on Sunday night as the Beermen faded down the stretch against Barangay Ginebra to lose, 102-99, and exit Governors’ Cup contention after six games in the semifinals.
There was expectedly no consoling the Beermen after the loss at Smart Araneta Coliseum, for they just missed out on what could’ve been their 46th crack at a PBA crown and the opportunity to increase their trophy collection to 30.
Chris Ross, one of the club’s cornerstones who is now also serving as an assistant coach, was simply dejected when he faced reporters.
“There’s none. We lost, so there’s none,” Ross said, when asked about any positive takeaway from the botched campaign.
However, Ross gave a much more comprehensive response on what doomed the team.
“I don’t know. I feel like since we won the (last) championship, we’ve had so much change on our team,” he said. “There was just so much change, man. We went through four imports and the coaches trying to find combinations that would work.
“[And] we come against a team like Ginebra? They know what they’re doing. They have their rotation, they have their import. So it’s kind of like riding a bike for them,” Ross continued. “With us, we’re just trying to figure out what’s gonna happen, who’s gonna play here, who’s gonna play there, who’s gonna take the shot, who’s gonna make the pass.”
Scant playing minutes
San Miguel indeed looked like a disjointed bunch earlier that night. Whatever depth the Beermen enjoyed in recent seasons was hardly a weapon as import E.J. Anosike, June Mar Fajardo, Marcio Lassiter and CJ Perez all played at least 40 minutes.
Terrence Romeo, who almost single handedly willed San Miguel to its Game 2 win, played just about eight minutes. Ross, a seasoned defensive whiz, saw action in just nine.
San Miguel’s rotation was truly a stark contrast when ranged against that of the Kings, who used their wealth of talent—and familiarity with one another—to the hilt.
“Just a transformation from what we had, to what we are now,” said Ross.
Fajardo felt that losing was simply the duality that comes with the sport.
“That’s just how basketball is. There’s a winner and a loser. Congrats to Ginebra, they’re the team that played well this series,” Fajardo said as he looked at the next chance. INQ