|
With Game 6 of the PBA Season 48 Commissioner's Cup Finals still in the balance, and the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots clinging to a 99-97 lead, CJ Perez brought the ball up. He surveyed the floor, and chose to attack the paint. He drew the defense in and waiting in the corner was a wide open Chris Ross. "I told CJ, 'Make the right play. If I'm open, I'm gonna make this shot,'" Ross said. "And he did." Ross sank the 3-pointer to give the San Miguel Beermen the lead for good. After a defensive stop, Perez again stepped up, this time making 3 himself to all but seal the Beermen's 29th PBA championship. Perez's clutch decision-making and shot-making during crunch time of a close out game shows just how much he has grown as a player -- to the point that he was named Best Player of the Conference for the first time in his career. Ross has seen his teammate's evolution up close, and he genuinely thinks there's more to come from the 2019 first overall pick. "He's always been a talented scorer, and now he's learning how to actually play the game," Ross said of Perez. "His IQ is on the rise. He's making the right plays, not forcing shots. ... "I'm glad to get a front row seat. I see how he works, I'm around him every day at practice. I see how bad he wants to win. He's still young, and he's getting better and better. Sky's the limit for him. He's turning that corner. That's a big step for him." For the Commissioner's Cup Finals, Perez averaged 18.0 points, 2.8 assists and an incredible 3.2 steals per game, while shooting 47% overall from the field. During the entire conference, he averaged 16.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.3 steals. Those numbers helped earn him the BPC and Finals MVP trophies, validation that he was the best player in the league this past conference. The natural question now is, just how far can Perez go? Ross believes he can reach the summit and win MVP. "I guess that's the next step, right?" Ross said. "It's hard when you got the seven-time MVP on your team, but that's the next step for CJ. He's on the right trajectory to do that." SMB coach Jorge Gallent also believes in his player's potential -- even if they sometimes clash. "He's the son that's hard-headed," Gallent said. "Because I was telling him to take a shot, and he doesn't want to take it." Gallent agrees with Ross that Perez rose to another level in the Commissioner's Cup. "CJ's a great player. He plays offense, he plays defense. But now he just showed his worth in this conference, that he can still excel. As a good player, he became a better player. He did the things that he had to do in practice, in games, and this is where he is now. He won the Best Player of the Conference and Finals MVP. "What I'm saying is getting matured already, and I love him. All of his success, I love." Perez, for his part, points to his coach's trust in him as the main reason for his elevated play. That, he says, is what gave him the confidence to take a big shot. "Sa trust ni coach Jorge, mas lalong tumataas ang kumpiyansa ko. And mga teammates ko, hindi naman sila nag-rerely sa akin, pero sinasabi nila, 'We need you. Kailangan ka namin sa loob.'" After Perez was held to just four points in the first half of Game 6, his coaches and teammates bluntly told him he needed to up his game. He responded with 24 second-half points plus several steals and assists. "That first half, that was not me. Parang nawawala ako at hindi ako aggressive pumunta sa basket and take those shots. Second half, talagang pinush nila ako. Sinabi nila sa akin na kaya ko. 'Kailangan ka namin. Kailangan mong mag step up.'" While Gallent is downplaying the Beermen's chances of defending the Philippine Cup, which opens on Feb. 28, Perez is already dreaming of another championship celebration. "Next conference, championship ulit sana. Iyon ang idadagdag ko sa goals ko. I never dream about individual awards. Parang it's just coming lang. Kung dadating, dadating. I'm just grateful na dumadating siya ngayon, and I will never stop working."
|
