Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone was left in awe at how much spark CJ Perez had given the team in its 103-98 victory over the Macau Black Bears considering that he was coming off a grueling Finals series in the PBA.

Perez provided the ball of energy the Nationals badly needed in the contest that saw them trail by as many as 21 points.

His aggressiveness on both ends of the floor was an instant impact for Gilas, particularly in the third frame when it went on a 15-2 run to turn the game into a nip-and-tuck affair.

“CJ, I thought, was the catalyst there in the third quarter and imagine he just came off a six-game series, championship series, a long playoff,” Cone said of Perez who finished with seven points, two assists, two blocks and a steal in just 11 minutes of play.

Perez was also the only player who suited up for Gilas after starring in the all-Filipino Finals series. The other players were his teammate June Mar Fajardo and TNT’s Calvin Oftana, who were both in attendance but only watched from the sidelines.

“He had no rest, showed up yesterday and then he comes in and basically wins the game for us there in the third quarter. Gave us a chance at least to win. So kudos to CJ,” added Cone.

His pressure defense on the opposing ballhandler did wonders for Gilas especially after Macau seemingly got everything it wanted offensively in the first half when it exploded for 63 points.

The impact Perez had in the game against the Black Bears is exactly what is expected from him when he was added to the line up according to Cone.

“I've always felt that CJ is a game changer. That's why he's on the team. He's the kind of guy that can come out and change the whole tempo of the game,” said the veteran mentor.

“Every player we have has a certain role,with a certain thing that he adds to what we want as a collective group. And CJ is the fact that he can come off the bench and really just change the game at times,” he added