By REYNALD MAGALLON
TNT guard Rey Nambatac shunned any comparison between him and former Tropang Giga Mikey Williams who was the Finals Most Valuable Player when the franchise last hoisted the Governors’ Cup trophy.
It was no secret that Nambatac’s arrival at TNT was a byproduct of Williams’ departure following a contract standoff but the seven-year pro stressed that he was not trying to fill his void alone but rather doing just everything he could to help his team.
“Ang goal ko nung napaunta ako sa TNT at least 50 percent ng ginagawa ni Mikey ‘yun yung magawa ko sa team na ito. ‘Yung other 50 pagtulung-tulungan na lang namin ng mga kasama ko,” said Nambatac.
As for the comparisons, Nambatac said they have two different style and roles to play for TNT
“‘Yung comparison na iyon malayo talaga ako sa kanya. Mikey is a legit scorer talagang kahit anong defensive scheme sa kanya talagang nagagawan nya ng paraan,” he added.
Nambatac might not have the same explosive scoring as Williams but he certainly had the same level of impact for the Tropang Giga, judging by his contributions in the 104-88 victory over Ginebra in Game 1 of the PBA Finals.
The 30-year-old guard had 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in the first-ever Finals appearance of his career.
“Masaya ako sa role ko. Finally nahanap ko iyong saktong role sa akin and si coach Chot din yung nag guide sa akin na ganito yung gagawin ko dito. At least ang bilis ng adjustment ko,” said Nambatac.
As great of a performance he had, Nambatac admitted that he had to overcome some jitters in his first experience of the PBA Finals atmosphere.
“Ang dami kong mga nararamdaman kanina pagpasok palang ng arena. To be honest sobrang kinabahan talaga ako lalo na yung nag opening na kinilabutan ako. Parang nanghihina ‘yung katawan ko. Good thing naovercome ko iyon,” recalled the veteran guard.
“First time ko sa gantong ambiance maglaro ng Finals, kumbaga kahit seven years na ako sa PBA, di pa rin maiwasan na mapipressure ka, kinakabahan ka but for me, I take that as motivation sa sarili ko,” he added.
