RJ Abarrientos of Ginebra in the semifinals of the PBA Governors Cup.– PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—The PBA Governors Cup Finals will have no shortage of fireworks, especially in the backcourt.
One of the most intriguing matchups in the rematch of last year's last is the battle between Barangay Ginebra's fast-rising rookie RJ Abarrientos and TNT legend Jayson Castro.
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“I'm excited to see it and face it. Since high school, I've been watching him and when I was in college, I idolized him a lot, so I'm very excited,” Abarrientos said after his Game 6 victory over Cerveza San Miguel.
READ: Ginebra eliminates San Miguel and prepares the rematch of the PBA Finals against TNT
“It is my motivation to face him and I am looking forward to that confrontation.”
Game 1 on Sunday will be the first meeting between Abarrientos and Castro. The Gin Kings and Tropang Giga have not yet met in this conference due to the new format in which the teams were divided into two groups.
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Abarrientos may not have been able to hide his excitement about facing Castro, but the former Far Eastern University ace clarified that he does not want to focus too much on his personal battle with the eight-time PBA champion.
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“For me, I'm not looking at the matchup too much because it's not me and Jayson. This is Geneva versus TNT.”
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READ: PBA: RJ Abarrientos meets Ginebra as 'starter from the bench'
Playing against Castro on the PBA's biggest stage also brought back memories as Abarrientos shared a moment with the veteran playmaker.
“When I was with Gilas in 3×3, he was in 5×5. “He talked to me before one of the practices,” Abarrientos recalled.
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“He said, 'You're next, okay?' “I wanted to say that I would be the next one to play 5×5 and I was excited because it came from him.”
It is true that Abarrientos finally suited up for Gilas Pilipinas in the Fiba Asia Cup in 2021.
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