3 days ago
'Unexpected' Finals MVP award just a bonus for Jericho Cruz
PBA Philippine Cup. July 25, 2025. Jericho Cruz (39) of the San Miguel Beermen against Calvin Oftana of the TNT Tropang 5G. (Photo: PBA Media)
San Miguel's Jericho Cruz has been one of the names usually heard over the course of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals series.
His name has been involved in a post-game fuss back in Game 3 of the finals where he was allegedly 'showboating' in which he denied.
But more than that, Cruz has been one of the consistent players for the Beermen for the finals series as he finished with 13.83 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.33 assists per game to help San Miguel win the All-Filipino crown.
With his strong showing in the series, Cruz was named as the Most Valuable Player of the finals which is the first in his career.
For him, it was an unexpected one and was just cherry on top of the championship.
"Yung championship na 'to, sobrang sarap kasi kakabalik lang ni Coach Leo [Austria]. Nanalo rin ako ng award which is bonus lang naman. 'Di ko maisip, 'di ko maipinta ang words na dapat sabihin ko ngayon," Cruz said in the post-game conference.
"'Di ko in-expect pero binigay sa akin kaya maraming salamat," he said in a separate interview.
He also clarified that there is no bad blood with him and TNT officials such as manager Jojo Lastimosa.
"Shoutout pa rin sa Talk 'N Text kasi hard fought series. Shout out din kay Coach Jolas, alam niya naman na mahal ko 'yan, and Coach Chot [Reyes]... At the end of the day, it's just basketball. Tapos na 'yun, move on na and prepare for the next conference," he said.
After a grueling series, Cruz is also expected to join Guam in the FIBA Asia Cup.
However, he revealed having some knee issues and will still determine if he will join the tournament.
"Pag-isipan ko in the next two days if papahinga ako or tutuloy ako," he said.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
