Charge this one to June Mar Fajardo.
The Cebuano giant is taking full responsibility for San Miguel's 87-83 Game 5 loss to Ginebra on Sunday to fall behind, 2-3 in the 2018 PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals.
Fajardo is blaming himself for missing two crucial freebies in the final 56.6 seconds, which could have extended the Beermen's slim 83-82 lead.
His worst fears did come true, as Scottie Thompson powered the Gin Kings to a four-point victory, leaving the four-time PBA MVP hitting himself in the noggin.
"Nakaka-frustrate," he rued, not minding his already-impressive 23-point and 11-rebound statline. "Nag-mintis pa ako ng dalawa sa free throw. Sayang. Dahil doon, kung naishoot ko siguro, mag-iiba siguro ang storya. Pero namintis ko. Akin yun."
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"Kung naipasok ko yun at nanalo kami, mag-iiba ang storya. Ngayon talo kami. Sa akin yun."
Mad at himself for letting his team down, Fajardo acknowledges that he has no other option but to pick himself up after this blunder and show what San Miguel is made of as it fights for its Grand Slam dream on Wednesday in Game 3 at Mall of Asia Arena.
"Kailangan namin mag-regroup, magpahinga para makabawi sa next game," he said.
This will be the first time that the powerhouse Beermen are in a precarious situation since going down 0-3 against Alaska before staging the historic "Beeracle" run in the 2016 Philippine Cup.
"Alam naman namin na mahirap, pero nandito na kami sa ganitong sitwasyon before, so siguro kaya naman namin gawin ulit yun. Mahirap pero kailangan talaga ibigay namin yung pinaka-best namin. All-out talaga," he said.(DL)
