At A Glance
- CJ Perez said that there wasn't any conscious effort on his part to take over for Gilas Pilipinas in its 82-81 win over Jordan, noting that he only played his game and the breakout performance simply followed.
CJ Perez said there was no conscious effort on his part to take over for Gilas Pilipinas in its 82-81 win over Jordan, noting that he simply played his game, and the breakout performance followed.
The San Miguel Beer star came alive when it mattered most, scoring all but two of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to emerge as a key spark in the Nationals' hard-fought victory.
“I just did my thing. No one told me to take over but I took it. I took the risk,” said Perez after the game.
“Pag mga ganung sitwasyon di ko na masyado naiisip (to take over) pero syempre sa kumpyansa ng mga teammates ko kasi nakakashoot na nga ako so binigay nila,” he added in a separate interview.
More than the scoring outburst, Perez made his biggest play down the stretch the stretch when Jordan’s defense finally collapsed on him, allowing him to find a wide-open Kevin Quiambao for the go-ahead triple with 11.7 seconds left.
“Ang mga coaches talaga nag trust lang talaga sila. They are telling me to just attack the basket. Pag nagtitouch ako ng paint naoopen yung iba and then nakakatira ako,” recalled Perez.
“Nasu-shoot ko kasi yung layup so nag collapse sila so luckily, nandun si KQ nakita ko siya and he made the shot. Sobrang kumpyansa ni KQ. I'm proud of him,” he added.