By JONAS TERRADO
LA Tenorio was adjudged as the Honda-PBA Press Corps Finals Most Valuable Player after helping Barangay Ginebra San Miguel finish off TNT to capture the PBA Philippine Cup crown inside the bubble.
Tenorio earned the nod of reporters who covered the season from both inside the bubble and in remote locations after averaging 13.6 points and 6.2 assists in the series that saw the Kings prevail 4-1.
It was a double treat for Tenorio, who captured his first-ever All-Filipino title after Ginebra’s 82-78 win over TNT in Wednesday’s Game 5 at the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center.
In claiming the plaque from five members of the Press Corps who covered the bubble right from the get-go, Tenorio joined Danny Seigle and James Yap atop the list of most Finals MVPs with his fourth.
The record-holder for consecutive games played was Finals MVP in the 2010 Fiesta Conference with Alaska and the 2016 and 2017 Governors’ Cup with Ginebra.
He immediately made an impact in the Finals when he dished out three of his 10 assists during the crucial moments of Ginebra’s 100-94 overtime victory in Game 1.
In Game 4, Tenorio answered two threes from RR Pogoy with the same number of long bombs during the latter stretch as Ginebra foiled TNT’s comeback to take a 98-88 win.
Tenorio had 10 points and six assists in the title clincher, with his alley-oop to Japeth Aguilar with under two minutes left gave Ginebra a 78-73 lead.
