June Mar Fajardo continues to tower above the entire San Miguel Beer team.
The seven-time MVP averaged in double-double to guide the Beermen to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals following a 3-0 sweep of Barangay Ginebra in their semifinals series.
Fajardo had 11 points and 10 rebounds in the series-clinching 94-91 win fashioned out before a large crowd of 15,126 at the Mall of Asia Arena last Sunday.
Consistency has been the name of the game for the 6-foot-10 center for the entire best-of-five series where he’s the only San Miguel local to average in double-doubles of 15.3 points and 11 rebounds per game, aside from turning in 3.7 blocks including a high of five blocks in a 106-96 Game 2 win.
Fajardo, who was recently honored as Mr. Basketball in the Philippine Sportswriters Association Awards Night, also shot 61.5 percent from the field, while holding his own against leading Best Player of the Conference candidate Christian Standhardinger in the marquee match-up between the two big men.
Coming off a fractured left hand injury, Fajardo successfully made his way back to San Miguel’s scheme of things that earned him his very first PBA Press Corps-Pilipinas Live Player of the Week this season.
San Miguel Beer teammate CJ Perez crowded out Fajardo for the weekly honor covering the period Jan. 24-27.
Perez emerged a close second behind Fajardo following the voting made by the group of men and women who cover the PBA beat.
The 30-year-old Perez averaged 18.0 points on a high 50 percent shooting from beyond the arc, while also submitting numbers of 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.7 steals as he teamed up with Fajardo a nd the rest of the Beermen in dethroning Barangay Ginebra.
The win was the ninth straight for the Beermen including eight since Fajardo returned to injury and put them in a perfect position as they vie for their 29th PBA championship.