By REYNALD MAGALLON
CJ Perez was saddled by foul trouble in Game 1 with four already in the first two quarters. In Game 2, he picked up his third midway through the second frame.
It was pretty much the same scenario for the high-scoring guard except that he didn’t let his foul situation affect him this time.
Perez used the frustrations as fuel to his 34-point explosion in Game 2 as San Miguel essayed a nail-biting 95-94 escape to even the series and avoid falling into a 0-2 hole in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
“I’m just doing the right thing sa depensa and offense. Ayokong sirain yung trust nila coach. Since Day 1, talagang nagta-trust sila sakin, pinapalitan ko lang,” said Perez, who after his three fouls in the first half, didn’t commit a single one in the last two quarters to keep himself in the game.
“I’m just containing my man. Hindi na ako umi-steal, hindi na ako nagga-gamble talaga. First half, may tatlo na naman ata ako. Kailangan kong ingatan yun. Sinabihan naman ako nila coach, nire-remind nila ako,” he added.
Perez still made an impact on the defensive end with game-high five steals while collecting four rebounds and dishing out five assists – none bigger than his forward pass that found Marcio Lassiter deep in the left corner for the go-ahead triple with 13 ticks left.
It was also at the same spot where Perez nailed a booming trey a play prior and answered a Chris Banchero triple on the other end to keep the Beermen within striking distance with 22 seconds left.
He also had the chance to ice the game with three ticks left but muffed his first free throw before purposely missing the second to deny Meralco a shot at potential last second heave.
Although it was a big scoring night for Perez, he needed 28 shots to reach his output – something that he admittedly was the intention heading into the contest.
“Kineep ko lang talaga yung composure. Syempre, sabi ko nga, hindi perfect lagi eh. Magmintis man ako, titira pa rin ako. May mga nagsasabi nga na bwakaw ako, pero bwakaw talaga ako. Yun talaga yun,” said Perez.
“I’m just trying to help my team. Every game, binibigay ko talaga yung 110 percent ko. Whatever happens, go lang nang go,” he added.
