It’s still June Mar
UNE MAR FAJARDO is the Big Difference. Since the great late Carlos Loyzaga hung up his basketball shoes a long time ago, there has never been a big man that deserves the moniker “Big Difference” until now. The hulking 6’11” four-time Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Most Valuable Player from Cebu continues to dominate the game today, which is why his San Miguel Beermen ( SMB) team is heavily favored to annex its fourth straight Philippine Cup crown.
Currently (as of press time), SMB is enjoying a 1-0 lead in the bestof- seven semis over sister team Ginebra San Miguel. In Game 1, Fajardo’s numbers were nothing impressive. His nine-points, sevenrebounds, three assists and twoblocks might be outstanding for any other player but June Mar. These are just not indicative of the way he dominates the league. But his squad was dominant versus an equally talented Ginebra side, leading all the way until the final count of 102-90. The Beermen built several double-digit leads, and were up by 15 going into the last ten minutes of play. As Fajardo was shackled on offense, his teammates had a field day lighting up the Big Dome with precise outside artillery. Yes, they accounted for an eye-popping sixteen triples, on an incredible 47.1% shooting clip. Anytime a team shoots this well from beyond the arc, it’s almost impossible to beat. Marcio Lassiter and Arwind Santos had five treys each, while Von Pessumal added four. Alex Cabagnot also chipped in two. So why are these deadly shooters given the space to get open looks? Simple, it’s because of June Mar. Ginebra coach Tim Cone, the PBA’s winningest coach with 20 titles, played the high percentage game, which is logical. Before the semis, Fajardo exploded for 35 points against TNT Ka Tropa in their quarterfinal match. And so it made sense that Cone zeroed in on stopping Fajardo in the post. But this was a gamble too as the numbers suggest.
Even before the Philippine Cup kicked off, most everybody already conceded the title to SMB. How do you stop a highly talented roster that’s built around Fajardo? The Beermen are formidable both in-