RR Pogoy’s over-eagerness to help TNT backfired when he reinjured his hamstring in Game 4 of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Philippine Cup best-of-seven finals series against defending champion San Miguel Beer.
The injury could cost him another game or two, helplessly watching from the sidelines as the series turned into a race-to-two contest.
But the Cebuano guard is determined to get back on the floor in the crucial tiebreaking Game 5 today at the Ynares Center-Antipolo.
“I don’t know if they’ll allow me to play but if I feel no more pain, I’ll try to play,” Pogoy said after the Tropang 5G’s 110-87 rout of the Beermen Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena that tied the best-of-seven series, 2-2.
Pogoy hurt his hamstring in the 10:40 mark of the second quarter and with TNT already up by 20 points.
He tried to go for a loose ball against San Miguel’s Jericho Cruz. Pogoy said he felt he overstretched his hamstring.
Pogoy was in pain after the play and was taken out of the game for good after scoring six points on 2-for-2 three-pointers with two rebounds and an assist in just seven minutes of action.
“I’m not fully healed yet,” admitted the 33-year-old winger, who first got the injury in Game 4 of the semifinals against Meralco that forced him to miss three games, including the first two in the finals.
“I just forced it because I really wanted to play. I don’t want to leave my teammates go into battle without me especially after a sorry loss in Game 2.”
TNT coach Chot Reyes said Pogoy should not have been playing in the first place.
“To be honest, Roger wasn’t supposed to play but he insisted because Kim Aurin was out with back spasms. That’s why he didn’t play in Game 3 and didn’t even attend practice. We’re forced to play Roger but his hamstring is not yet fully healed,” Reyes said.
He said Pogoy suiting up for the decisive match is going to be a game-time decision.