Title more important than MVP – Fajardo
San Miguel Beer (SMB) center June Mar Fajardo will gladly accept the MVP award if he wins it, but more important than that is if he is able to help his team win the PBA Governors’ Cup.
Individual award is just icing on the cake, he said.
“Bonus na lang kung magka-award,” said Fajardo yesterday as No. 2 twice-to-beat SMB gears up in preparation for its quarterfinal game against No. 7 NLEX tomorrow at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“Sa akin naman kasi ang importante mag-champion ang team, buong team ang masaya. Pero kung mananalo ng MVP uli, bonus na yun, lalo na wala pa nakakagawa nun,” added the 6-foot-10 center.
The PBA Commissioner’s Office will formally release the official BPC contenders tomorrow after the two playoff games to decide the No. 4 berth and No. 8 spot in the quarterfinal round.
At press time, Rain or Shine is playing Phoenix Fuel for the eighth spot, while Mahindra and Meralco are slugging it out for the No. 4 slot and the last twice-to-beat bonus in the next stage.
Fajardo is the league’s reigning back-to-back MVP, and is already in the “elite” company that captured consecutive MVPs that include William “Bogs” Adornado (1975 and 1976), Alvin Patrimonio (1993 and 1994), and former SMB Danny Ildefonso (2000 and 2001).
While the record for most MVPs belong to Patrimonio and Ramon Fernandez with four each, no player has won the MVP award three straight times.
The fourth year center Fajardo, together with Alaska forward Calvin Abueva, are candidates in the MVP race after each won the Best Player of the Conference plums – the former in the Philippine Cup and the latter in the previous Commissioner’s Cup.
This conference, Fajardo is expected to be in the derby for the BPC award as he averaged 20.55 points, 11.64 points and 1.73 shot blocks during the eliminations of the Governors’ Cup.
Fajardo has already won four BPC, and another plum would tie him with Ildefonso, who holds the record with five. Fajardo’s current averages of 20.55 points, 11.64 points and 1.73 shot blocks during the eliminations of the Governors’ Cup make him a top contender.
TNT Katropa guard Jayson Castro is also a solid contender as he averaged 21.45 points per game with 3.82 rebounds and 7.91 assists as he helped the Texters to a league-best 10-1 record at the end of the elimination round.
Abueva had 14.56 points with 8.78 rebounds.
Meanwhile, the quarterfinals will start tomorrow at the Big Dome with SMB colliding against NLEX while Barangay Ginebra San Miguel will face Alaska. The Kings and the Beermen are armed with twice-to-beat incentives. (Manila Bulletin)
