The Meralco Bolts took to heart their semis loss to the TNT Tropang 5G in the last PBA Philippine Cup, according to CJ Cansino. And it is something the Bolts are hoping not to go through again.
At least on Tuesday night, Cansino and his Bolts brethren got a measure of revenge, surviving TNT, 110-106, in the two teams’ first matchup since the Tropa eliminated Meralco last conference.
“Siguro dahil sa experience namin sa series na ’yun dinala lang namin (dito),” the rising sophomore said after Meralco’s big win, its fourth in five games in this Commissioner’s Cup. “So, kumbaga hindi na puwede ulit mangyari ’yun kasi grabe ’yung sakit na pinagdaanan namin nun.”
Cansino and the Heartbreak of a Heartbreaking Loss
Of all the Bolts, Cansino probably took that last loss the hardest, as he played his best-ever game as a PBA player in that do-or-die Game 5. Thanks to Cansino’s heroics, Meralco took a 96-91 lead in the waning seconds and looked poised to send the series to a Game 6. But a six-point swing on a Rey Nambatac four and a Jordan Heading undergoal stab—off a steal on Cansino, no less—turned the game and ended the series.
Months later, the sensational sophomore got his payback—never mind if it came in the eliminations. The former UAAP champion led all Meralco locals with 19 points on top of 4 rebounds and 4 assists to get the hard-fought win, which nearly went TNT’s way again after the Tropa’s furious late-game charge brought them to within 107-105 after starting the fourth down by 17.
But the Bolts prevailed. And if they want to avoid another heartbreak like the one the Tropa dealt them last conference, they will need to play even better moving forward.
Expect CJ Cansino to take that challenge.
