(PBA image)
With the PBA Philippine Cup finals hanging in the balance, Roger Pogoy made it clear there was no way he was sitting this one out.
Injury or not.
The Cebuano guard made a surprise return for TNT Tropang 5G in Game 3 of the championship series against San Miguel Beer, suiting up earlier than expected as the pressure of the finals intensified. Pogoy logged 17 minutes, scored four points on 2-of-7 shooting, and pulled down two rebounds in his first action after being sidelined for two weeks with a hamstring injury.
Pogoy had originally been penciled in for a comeback in either Game 4 or Game 5. But when the Beermen evened the series at 1-1 over the weekend, the veteran wing felt the moment called for urgency.
“Wala namang sakit na, kulang lang talaga sa laro kasi two weeks lang tapos nilaro ko na,” Pogoy said after TNT absorbed a tough 95-89 loss Sunday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The 33-year-old Far Eastern University product admitted his hamstring is still not fully healed, but said it was already manageable enough to give the team meaningful minutes.
“Ako na mismo nag-decide na ilalaro ko,” he said. “Finals na kasi kaya sabi ko ilalaro ko na ito.”
While his numbers were modest, Pogoy’s presence provided an emotional lift for the Tropang 5G, who are now trailing the defending champions, 2-1, in the best-of-seven series. More importantly, Pogoy made it clear that his return was not a one-off appearance.
Now that he has his feet wet in the finals, Pogoy said there is no stopping him from suiting up for the rest of the series as TNT looks to claw its way back.
Game 4 is set for Wednesday, once again at the Mall of Asia Arena, with TNT hoping Pogoy’s grit and experience can help swing the momentum back in their favor.
