FAJARDO: “NAIINTIMIDATE DIN AKO KAY GREG”
As much as people salivated on the duel between Cebuano giants June Mar Fajardo and Greg Slaughter on Sunday, the Kraken said that there was someone else who gave him headaches in San Miguel Beer’s win over Barangay Ginebra Sunday.
“May Billy pa sila,” he said, referring to Ginebra’s old reliable big man Billy Mamaril.
“Bully si Billy. Binubully ako, natuhod pa nga ako eh,” Fajardo said with a smile.
But unlike the usual bullies people are used to, the 6-foot-10 Fajardo knows that all of that is just part of the game.
“Di ko na pinapatulan kasi pag pinatulan mo, mawawala ka sa focus, nakakasira lang ng game. Pabayaan na lang. Wala naman akong problema dun,” he said.
Fajardo logged 38 minutes in this much awaited duel, finishing with 21 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocks in the Beermen’s 79-77 win over the Gin Kings.
Although he’s logging killer minutes for a depleted San Miguel frontline, June Mar said that he too feels the fatigue, saying, “Napapagod din ako. Machine nga, nag-o-overheat eh. Ako pa kaya?”
But it also helped that he got some breather with Rico Maierhofer, Justin Chua, and David Semerad giving him a much needed break on the bench.
“Nag-step up naman yung mga big man namin at nakapagpahinga din ako kaya malaking bagay din yun,” he said.
And the 10-minute break off the court he had has really been a big boost for Fajardo, who admitted that Greg Slaughter did give him a tough time when they guarded each other in the floor.
“Nahihirapan din ako. Naiintimidate din ako kay Greg. Halos di ko rin ma-shoot yung iba kong shots eh,” he said.
“Ang kaibahan lang ngayon, nanalo sila nung last time, at ngayon nanalo kami,” June Mar said with a smile. (RL)
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