TNT's Castro downplays Finals MVP plum

MANILA Philippines -- Total team effort.

Jayson Castro said that he does not think he deserves the PBA Governors' Cup Finals Most Valuable Player award, as he deferred the credit to the whole TNT Tropang Giga.

The 38-year-old Castro was named the Finals MVP in the championship series that TNT won in six games over Barangay Ginebra, including the 95-85 Game 6 clincher on Wednesday night.

He averaged 10.6 points, 5.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game in the finals.

After the win, Castro tipped his hat to the rest of the squad.

“Thank you sa inyo kasi alam ko mas maraming deserve pero nakita niyo ang effort ko. Saka yung MVP na yun hindi lang ako. As a team talaga yun kasi kung makikita niyo naman, even sa Best Player of the Conference, wala sa aming candidate kasi we play as a team,” he told reporters.

"Yun ang ano namin, kung sino ang swerte, susuportahan namin. Kung sino ang maganda ang laro, sinusuportahan namin. At the same time, lahat kami, kung makita niyo ang minutes namin saka ang score namin, spread lahat,” he added.

“So, ang MVP na yun para sa akin hindi ako yun, kundi ang buong team.”

In the close-out Game 6, Castro finished with 13 points, dished out six assists, hauled down two rebounds, and went 5-of-10 from the field.

He was scoreless in the first quarter, but had eight points in the second quarter and five total in the second half.

Castro’s Finals MVP award is his first since sharing the plum with Jimmy Alapag back in the 2011 PBA Commissioner’s Cup, which TNT won also against Ginebra in six games.

“Sobrang sarap ng feeling kasi nung last conference namin, sobrang sama, hindi kami umabot ng semifinals. So, sabi namin, during training camp pa lang, sabi ni Coach na this conference kailangan naming makabawi at the same time, pakita na kaya pa naming mag-champion,” he said.

“Yun nga, nag-start lahat sa training camp namin sa Cebu for almost seven to eight days na talagang hard training everyday, twice a day. And no day off. Dinedicate namin sa training camp namin na pagdating ng conference na ito, talagang ready kami,” he added.

As he acknowledged that he may be in his twilight years, Castro underscored that he may still have something left in the tank.

“Sobrang special kasi andun na ako sa latter part na… ilang years na lang. Pero yun nga, sabi ko naman sa management and sa mga teammate ko, hangga’t andito ako ibibigay ko yung best ko and at the same time, inaalagaan ko naman yung katawan ko. Hindi lang yung katawan, pati yung mental,” the guard said.

“I think kaya ko pang makipag-compete.”

TNT has won a total of 10 PBA championships.