Meralco’s Chris Banchero has been playing with a sprained finger, but with a title shot on the line, he decided to play through it.
His perseverance paid off, as Banchero and the Bolts secured a 78-69 victory in Game 7 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals against crowd favorites Barangay Ginebra. This win propelled Meralco to a title showdown against the powerhouse team, San Miguel Beer.
“I’m not the only one whose playing through injuries. We’re deep into the conference now, and everybody’s banged up. There’s really no excuse,” said Banchero, who scored 24 in Game 7.
On sheer guts, Meralco clawed back from 11 down early in the second period and dominated in the second half to win the do-or-die and secure its fifth PBA Finals appearance.
“Man, that is a tough series. Not only physically but mentally,” said Banchero.
“We’re down 3-2, our back’s on the wall, and everybody’s against us.”
Like Meralco coach Luigi Trillo, Banchero credited their consultant, Nenad Vucinic, for their success.
“Coach Nenad put it up. He really put that belief in us. It could have been easier to fold. Credit to everybody; everybody did a good job today,” he said.
The post Injury no excuse for Meralco’s Chris Banchero first appeared on Fastbreak.
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