Almazan’s absence a damper

MANILA, Philippines — It could’ve gone to a Game 7 if only Raymond Almazan didn’t get hurt. That was the candid assessment of Meralco forward Cliff Hodge, who took over Almazan’s spot in the Bolts’ starting lineup in the title-clinching Game 5 of the PBA Governors Cup finals at the MOA Arena last Friday.

“Raymond’s a perfect fit with us,” said Hodge after Barangay Ginebra beat Meralco, 105-93, to end the best-of-7 series, 4-1. “He’s found his home. I think if he played 100 percent, things would’ve been different. But as coach Norman (Black) told us in the lockerroom, it’s a journey. We tried our best but we’ve just got to get better. This was my third finals against Ginebra. It’s always a challenge to play Ginebra. But we’ll learn from this. We’ll bounce back.”

Hodge, 31, sat out the first six games of the conference to recover from surgery to remove bone spurs in his ankle. Slowly, he worked his way back into Black’s rotation. With Almazan out of commission in Game 5, Hodge made his first start in the Governors Cup and scored a conference-high 10 points to go with seven rebounds in 29:58 minutes. Hodge, who at 6-4 is four inches shorter than the lanky Almazan, couldn’t fill the vacuum left by the former Letran center. He’s a scrapper, rugged defender and tough offensive rebounder but isn’t a shot blocker like Almazan.

In his four finals appearances, Almazan averaged 12.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 25:59 minutes. Hodge averaged 2.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 20.4 minutes in five games in the title series.

Meralco’s tailspin started when Almazan went down on a nasty fall and left Game 3 for good with Ginebra up, 19-7 and 5:55 to go in the first quarter. The series was tied, 1-1, entering the contest. Ginebra went on to win Game 3, 92-84. Almazan had an MRI that revealed a lateral meniscal tear in his left knee but insisted on playing Game 4 three days later. He compiled 12 points and nine rebounds in 27:51 minutes but was clearly not 100 percent as Ginebra made it two wins in a row, 94-72. Then, Almazan decided to sit out Game 5.

Almazan recalled the play that led to his injury. “Bola namin, nag-layup ako against Japeth (Aguilar), gamit ko left hand tapos bumagsak ako,” he said. “Akala ko, bad fall kasi one-foot landing but natamaan ako ni L.A. (Tenorio) kaya nag-buckle ang tuhod ko. Hindi niya sinadya. Friends kami ni L.A. Pareho lang kami gustong manalo. Aksidente yun. Hindi na ako bumalik sa game. Nagpa-MRI ako at mayroon nga meniscal tear. But OK naman, pakiramdam ko kaya maglaro ng Game 4. Masakit pero walang swelling kaya sabi ng doctor, hindi malala. Nag-pain killers na lang ako.”

But after Game 4, Almazan said he couldn’t endure the pain. “Yung apartment namin, nasa third floor kaya hirap akong umakyat sa stairs,” he said. “Tinulugan ko tapos sa umaga, hindi ko na mai-flex yung tuhod ko.”

Almazan, playing in his fifth finals, said he apologized to Black for not being able to play last Friday. “Sabi ko kay coach Norman sorry but sabi naman niya sa akin, nothing to be sorry about kasi I did my best,” he said. “Happy ako sa Meralco, binuhos ko ang lahat. Sobrang blessed ako in my basketball career, with my Gilas experience at sa Rain or Shine. Ngayon, with Meralco, confident ako that I can contribute sa system ni coach Norman.”

Almazan said he’ll go under the knife to repair the meniscal tear. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mark Castro will perform the surgery. “Wala pang schedule ang operation but sana as soon as possible,” he said. “Six weeks ang healing from surgery tapos therapy at conditioning. Sana makahabol ako for the next conference.”