The San Miguel Beermen may have lost Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals in blowout fashion, but CJay Perez is unfazed. In fact, it appears he isn’t the least bit impressed by the TNT Tropang 5G’s domination, telling reporters afterward that he didn’t see the Tropa doing anything differently. Instead, in The Predator’s assessment, Game 4 slipped away simply because he and the rest of the Beermen didn’t show up.
“Actually, wala naman silang bagong ginawa. Talagang yung physicality nandun pa rin, ‘yung energy nila, ‘yun lang naman talaga. Wala naman silang masyadong binago sa ginagawa nila,” Perez deadpanned. “It’s just us, na hindi kami naka-adjust agad. ‘Di namin nabigay effort namin nang maaga.”
That failure to match TNT’s early effort proved disastrous as the Tropa quickly seized control, building their first double-digit lead in the first quarter and extending it to as much as 25 in the second period.
No Effort on Both Ends for San Miguel
While Perez didn’t see anything new with TNT, he did see what San Miguel lacked in Game 4: energy and effort.
“Wala talagang effort. Walang energy sa offense, sa defense,” Perez added. “Nag-start sila nang sobrang ganda. ‘Yun ang problema… Defense talaga at offense.”
That’s all water under the bridge now for Perez and the Beermen, who have no choice but to look ahead to Game 5. And Perez expects it to be tougher than the first four.
“Palapit nang palapit, siyempre magiging mas intense pa ‘yan,” said Perez, who was limited to 11 points in Game 4 after a heroic ending to Game 3. “It’s up to us kung paano kami magre-respond sa adjustment, sa physicality na ibibigay ng TNT.”
Fans will find out soon as Game 5 tips off on Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
