Sean Anthony was gasping for air in the crucial final stretch of NorthPort Batang Pier's 104-98 loss to Barangay Ginebra on Wednesday.
It's understandable as Anthony is working his way back into game shape following a calf injury that forced him to sit out the first three of the Batang Pier's PBA Governors' Cup games.
Despite the lack of conditioning, Anthony contributed on both ends of the floor, finishing with nine points, three rebounds, and five assists.
"There were a few times that I was really out of breath," he said. "I felt no pain in the calf. But I was a little less aggressive. I was not really going all out."
Anthony will have two weeks to regain his form with the PBA on a break for the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers. Gilas Pilipinas plays in Iran on September 13 before taking on Qatar behind closed door at the Smart Araneta Coliseum four days later.
NorthPort lost by an average of 25 points in its first three outings but showed some signs of life with Stanley Pringle and Anthony back in the lineup.
The Batang Pier clamped down on defense and rallied from 19 points down and made it a tight contest in the final stretch.
It was still an improvement for NorthPort, which also got a boost with the addition of playmaker Jeric Fortuna. Anthony is hopeful that when the team returns to action it will be able to course correct.
"As a team, today we stepped up a bit defensively. We let them pull away though in the end. We just got to start strong in the next game and end it strong," he said.
NorthPort will face Blackwater on September 19.
"All we gotta do is prepare. Blackwater is playing really well, so all we got to do is give our best to get ready and get our first W," he said.