Taulava: Hindi pa ako laos

SA PANALO ng Air21 kontra San Miguel Beer sa quarterfinals ng PBA Commissioner’s Cup, pinatunayan ni Asi Taulava na kaya pa rin niyang makipagsabayan sa mga mas batang sentro sa liga.

Noong Biyernes ay nagtala si Taulava ng 16 puntos, siyam na rebounds at tatlong supalpal para dalhin ang Express sa dramatikong panalo kontra sa Beermen upang umabante sa semifinals.

“I have nothing but respect for San Miguel. We were just lucky and we capitalized on Junmar Fajardo fouling out. The breaks came our way,” wika ni Taulava na dating manlalaro ng SMB sa ASEAN Basketball League. “Once they figure out how they will play together, basketball will be so easy for them especially for Junmar, who is a young and smart player. The PBA is his.”

Dahil sa panalo, tuluyang ibinaon ni Taulava ang kanyang masamang karanasan noong 1999 nang natalo ang kanyang Mobiline sa quarterfinals ng PBA Philippine Cup kontra Barangay Ginebra San Miguel kahit hawak ng Phone Pals ang twice-to-beat na bentahe.

“It was a nightmare and I lived with it for 15 years,” ani Taulava. “It did make me the person I am today. Going to the gym spending extra hours with my trainer making sure that I would take advantage of it and I was ready this time. This team is coming together at the right time.”

(James Ty III)