June Mar Fajardo trying to stay cool amid heated PBA finals

MANILA, Philippines – As physical and highly charged the PBA Philippine Cup finals have been, San Miguel star June Mar Fajardo has primarily kept his cool.

The nine-time league MVP said he makes it a point to keep his emotions in check as the Beermen moved on the cusp of defending their All-Filipino throne with a 96-82 win over TNT in Game 5 of the finals at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Friday, January 30. 

Game 5 was arguably the most heated match of the best-of-seven series, featuring six technical fouls and seeing opposing players get entangled. 

“I control my emotions, I don’t want my emotions to control me,” Fajardo said in a mix of English and Filipino. “When it comes to physicality, like pushing and shoving, who knows what might happen if I retaliate, right? Things will just escalate.”

Fajardo, who recently claimed a record-extending 13th Best Player of the Conference award, has been the focal point of the Tropang 5G defense as TNT tries to keep him out of the paint, where he is at his most dangerous. 

Still, the 6-foot-10 big man continues to produce astounding numbers, averaging team highs of 17.8 points and 17.4 rebounds to go with 1.6 assists and 1.0 blocks through five games in the finals.

But Fajardo admitted there were times when the Tropang 5G got under his skin. 

In a Game 3 sequence that amused fans, the usually calm Fajardo temporarily lost his temper as he shoulder bumped and glared at Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser after the TNT big man nudged him on the back. 

“Of course, it gets annoying. But I try to avoid it from affecting me, because I just want to focus on the game. We want to win. We want to win the championship — that’s our ultimate goal,” Fajardo said. 

Knowing how important he is to the team, Fajardo would rather let his game do the talking as he closes in on his 12th championship with San Miguel. 

“They want to win, and we want to win, too. The games are intense, the physicality is there. That’s expected,” said Fajardo. 

“As for me, I just try my best to control my emotions. Whatever they’re doing to me, I can do too. But it’s not worth it.” – Rappler.com