NORTHPORT star Arvin Tolentino bolstered his bid for a first Best Player of the Conference award after leading the Batang Pier to the semifinals of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
But Tolentino and the Batang Pier’s opening match in the semis against the Ginebra Kings turned into a nightmare.
“Nandoon iyong kalawang factor, pero hindi ko naman puwedeng sabihin na iyon ang rason. They played a great game, iyon lang iyon,” Tolentino said after NorthPort absorbed a 93-115 rout at the hands of Ginebra in Game 1 last Wednesday night.
“I’ll definitely watch the tape and watch how they defended me and be better the next game,” he added.
The 6-foot-5 Tolentino was handcuffed by the Kings’ stifling defense, which limited the high-scoring forward to eight points on a paltry 2-of-11 shooting—a far cry from his 23.2 markers per game average in this conference.
Tolentino will likely overtake reigning eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel Beer in the BPC race after the Beermen failed to advance to the playoffs, with Fajardo, a 10-time BPC winner, leading the meet in rebounding with 16.3 boards for 42.0 statistical points.
Tolentino is a close second behind Fajardo with 39.9 SPs.
Also expected to be in the fight for the race are TNT’s Calvin Oftana (32.7 SPs) and Converge rookie Jordan Heading (32.5 SPs).
Propped up by his averages of 19.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists, Oftana is at No. 4, followed by Heading (17.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.8 assists) at fifth place.
But Heading’s Converge team was also ousted in the Last Eight by Rain or Shine.
Nothing else can prove that Tolentino is deserving of the plum than guiding the Batang Pier to a historic finals stint—and atonement begins in the second tiff today at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
“This is not the time to feel down, talo, tambak. We just have to stay positive,” he said. “It’s a long series, it’s just Game 1.
“We’ll forget about this. Today is another day, another game.”
