Jimenez continues to find ways to contribute to the Beermen.
Fan favorite Kyt Jimenez made his PBA Finals debut for San Miguel as it was closing out its Game 2 demolition of Magnolia in their best-of-seven PBA season 48 Commissioner’s Cup title showdown at the Mall of Asia Arena Sunday night.
With the Beermen sitting comfortably on a 23-point cushion, 100-77, at the 3:32 mark of the fourth quarter, Jimenez was fielded in much to the delight of the cheering crowd.
He scored two points on the charity stripe with more than two minutes to go after drawing a foul from the Hotshots' Jackson Corpuz as he gunned for a drive.
He remained on the court to the finish as San Miguel strongly wrapped up the match this time around.
Asked how he felt about his first Finals apperance, the 26-year-old YouTube-sensation-turned-PBA-rookie still could not believe his fortunes.
“Pinakamataas na liga dito sa Pilipinas. Hindi ko in-expect, hindi ko akalaing makapag-finals kaagad ako. Siyempre dahil sa mga teammates ko, sa team namin, talagang solid talaga,” Jimenez told reporters after the game.
It has not been the easiest rookie year for Jimenez so far.
Early in the season, Jimenez was welcomed to the physicality in the league, incurring a facial fracture as he was hit by the elbow of Meralco Bolts' Cliff Hodge in a collision. His injury caused him to sit out for several weeks.
And given how deep San Miguel’s lineup is, finding a spot in the rotation remain to be difficult for the athletic guard.
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Still, Jimenez knows his value in the team, especially during San Miguel’s training sessions.
“Kaya ako, pinagbubutihan ko pa lalo talaga sa practice namin. Alam kong wala akong naiaambag sa loob ng court 'pag game namin pero for me, sa practice, alam ko 'yung contribution ko,” said Jimenez.
The 76th overall pick in last year's draft also believes that as long as he continues to do the hard work, he will eventually be given minutes in the team.
“Alam kong darating naman 'yung time na 'yun na magkakaroon ako ng minuto,” said Jimenez.
The Beermen are just two wins away from lifting their 29th trophy in the league. But Jimenez and the rest of SMB choose to look not too far ahead and focus instead on the game at hand.
“Pag-every game namin, hindi namin iniisip 'yung panalo namin, eh. Kumbaga, doon kami sa next step namin, mag-focus kami sa next game,” said Jimenez. “Kumbaga, 'wag maging masyadong kumportable o masaya kasi hindi natin masabi, puwedeng bumaliktad kaya focus kami every next game namin.”
Game 3 is set on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. It will also air on RPTV, A2Z, PBA Rush and the Pilipinas Live app.
(With reports from Jan Ballesteros/One Sports)