With a Finals stint to remember, Fajardo on track to become PBA's greatest
MANILA, Philippines – “Tireless” won’t even begin to describle June Mar Fajardo’s performance in San Miguel Beer’s PBA Philippine Cup title-clinching victory on Friday night.
After posting 20 points in the second half to help his team claw back into the game, Fajardo went on to pour 12 more in the two extra periods, giving his team a separation toward the game’s final moments, giving the franchise that drafted him a pass to immortality.
“Dominant," perhaps?
Fajardo’s 42 points and 20 rebounds puts him in the history of the league as the first local to secure such feat. He basically doubled the production of Magnolia’s top-scorer Paul Lee.
His 10 boards? Also twice as much of the multi-tiled veteran Rafi Reavis’.
Fajardo, while revealing that he was playing through cramps and flirting with exhaustion, said that he was lucky to have performed in a time where both the Beermen’s offense and defense were flowing perfectly.
"Iniisip lang namin ng mga teammates ko na kailangan namin lumaban,” he added. “Eh hinahanap din ako ng teammates ko. So kailangan kong mag-produce. Buti pumapasok ‘yung mga tira ko.”
“Ang dami kong mintis nung first half, buti pumasok ‘yung sa fourth quarter until the end,” Fajardo, who went on to become the Finals MVP, continued.
His masterful showing came at a conference in which he etched his name in history by snaring the most number of Best Player of the Conference awards. With six, Fajardo eclipses his other mentor, Danny Ildefonso.
But the thing is, the young big man seems to have a knack for rewriting records. He has done it last conference when he won his fourth-straight Most Valuable Player plum to tie the greatest big man in Ramon Fernandez and the celebrated Alvin Patrimonio. But the Cebuano behemoth actually moves to uncharted waters as he did it in successive fashion.
“Championships naman ang priority ko,” he told PhilStar.com prior the series. “Bonus na lang lahat ng ‘to,” referring to individual accolades.
“Peerless” has a nice ring to it.
At 28 and six titles under his belt, Fajardo is a long way from the league’s winningest player, his other mentor Ramon Fernandez.
For now, let’s stick with “Great.”
After all — and as cliché this may sound — only time will tell.
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