TNT veteran Jayson Castro admitted that San Miguel was just too hot to handle in Game 7 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals on Sunday, Sept. 4.

Despite scoring 32 points that went with 10 rebounds and eight assists, Castro's efforts went down the drain as the Tropang Giga couldn't prevent the Beermen from hitting big shots that proved to be lethal in the fourth period.
SMB, behind June Mar Fajardo, Chris Ross and CJ Perez, triggered a blistering 17-0 run in the final stretch which was enough to dethrone TNT via a 119-97 beating in front of a roaring crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Nicknamed "The Blur", Castro, now 36, imposed his veteran presence all-series long, helping the Tropang Giga to even take a 3-2 lead in the series. But the absence of head coach Chot Reyes and key forward Glenn Khobuntin, and an early exit of Poy Erram took a huge toll in the deciding match.
“Lumaban naman kami hanggang huli. Pero syempre lakas talaga nila eh. Kitang kita naman lalo na ‘yong second group nila. Sobrang hindi namin sila mai-istop. Kahit ma-stop sila, lagi silang may pang-counter,” said Castro.
“Maraming masakit pero kailangan maglaro talaga eh. At the same time, tulungan ‘yong team in a way na kaya kong tulungan,” added Castro.
Castro wasn't alone as Mikey Williams contributed 22 points for the depleted Tropang Giga. After exploding for 17 points in the first quarter, the prolific scorer found himself on a maze of determined defenders and mustered only five points the rest of the way. RR Pogoy, another reliable wingman on the side of TNT, scored 16 but was held scoreless in the fourth. (Nikole Javier)