Fajardo accepts painful loss: ‘We need to regroup, bounce back’

A dejected June Mar Fajardo heads to the bench. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

The kind of game Barangay Ginebra had in the semifinals clincher on Tuesday reminded June Mar Fajardo of the performance San Miguel Beer delivered two nights ago in Game 4.

The biggest difference was the timing, with the Gin Kings’ best offensive game of the series came in the do-or-die.

“Yung mga tira namin na nashu-shoot last game, yun din yung mga tira nila, halos lahat pasok,” said Fajardo after the Beermen got crushed, 117-92. “Masakit para sa amin, gusto naming manalo eh, ganun talaga.”

READ: After long wait, Ginebra ousts San Miguel to return to PBA Finals

San Miguel was hoping to replicate its 101-72 victory in Game 4 where it delivered the knockout blow in the second quarter thanks to a 25-9 tear, but instead, it got a taste of its own medicine in Game 5 as Ginebra returned the favor with a 35-15 surge in the third period.

It actually took two big runs by the Gin Kings to put away the Beermen, who wiped out a 37-12 deficit after scoring 24 unanswered points during one stretch in the second quarter.

San Miguel stared at a 28-point deficit, 81-53, a seemingly insurmountable hole at the start of the fourth quarter. But it wasn’t until head coach Leo Austria pulled out his starters in the last six minutes when Fajardo accepted losing.

READ: No vacation plans for Beermen , says Fajardo

“Hanggang matapos yung oras, basta kung may chance pa eh pero wala malaki na talaga yung lamang. Nilabas ako ni coach kasi baka madisgrasya pa,” said Fajardo, who had one of the worst games of his career with only seven points, all coming at the free throw line, and just one attempt from the field in 36 minutes.

Fajardo said the immediate goal for the Beermen was to make another trip to the finals before thinking of winning it all again.

“Basta sa akin, makapasok sila sa Finals, yung goal namin manalo ng championships, kaso hindi nangyari.”

“As a team, teamwork talaga, kailangan namin mag-regroup, di naman sa lahat ng pagkakataon mananalo, may time naman na mada-down ka, kailangan mo rin ipick-up mo sarili mo then, bounce back next conference.”