MANILA, Philippines — Mabigat ang pasanin ni Rey Nambatac sa TNT Tropang Giga matapos magtamo ng injury ang main guard na si Jayson Castro sa PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup.
Kaya naman masaya itong napunan nito ang malaking puwestong iniwan ni Castro upang masungkit ng Tropang Giga ang korona sa Commissioner’s Cup.
Malaking bonus pa ang pagkopo nito sa Finals MVP award.
“Even this conference, when Kuya Jayson got injured, I knew the pressure was on me. The pressure was just heavy for me as I went through it though I was able to overcome it,” ani Nambatac.
Isa si Nambatac sa mga naasahan ng Tropang Giga para tulungan si Best Import awardee Rondae Hollis-Jefferson na tuloy pa rin ang laban sa kabila ng iniindang injury.
Dumaan muna sa matinding pag-subok ang TNT bago itakas ang 4-3 panalo sa best-of-seven finals series.
Nailista ng TNT ang gitgitang panalo laban sa Ginebra, 87-83, sa Game 7 ng series.
“But then again, when I started to embrace that challenge, that pressure, this became the outcome,” ani Nambatac.
Sa buong finals series, nagtala si Nambatac ng averages na 17.86 points, 3.14 rebounds at 3.43 assists para masungkit nito ang kanyang kauna-unahang Finals MVP award.
Nagpasalamat si Nambatac sa mga teammates nito na siyang naging katuwang nito para makuha ang naturang parangal.
“I didn’t expect to be named the Finals MVP because my focus, my mindset was to become a back-to-back champion because I’ve been in the PBA for quite some time. This is my eighth year and I don’t want to waste the opportunity. I wanted to grab it,” ani Nambatac.