Seeing the legendary Robert Jaworski in the flesh has once again inspired Barangay Ginebra San Miguel to bring its A-game and his presence gave the team a boost in a much-needed win in Game 3 of the best-of-five PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals on Thursday.
“It’s good to have Senator Jaworski here. He came in to the locker room at halftime, gave us a talk, gave me a hug and you feel so much better about yourself after that,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone during the postgame interview.
If Cone could have his way, he’d love to have ‘The Living Legend’ back for the coming games as well.
“Boy, I just hope he comes every game. I think we only lost once when he came, but we play well every time he comes. It’s great for the fans that he’s here and make some presence and see him in the flesh, especially young fans.”
With Jaworksi in attendance, the Kings averted a semifinal sweep at the hands of TNT, notching its first win in the series.
Cone believes the presence of Jaworski provided a little bit of inspiration for the team.
“He’s been away for months and it’s nice to have him here. Hopefully, he’ll keep on coming. His presence casts a big shadow over us. He blocks out the sun for us. We can’t ignore him. He’s such a huge presence for the players, who don’t really know him as I do because he’s a legend. They’re all kind of awe in him,” he said.
“I’ve been lucky to be around two great legends late in my career, that’s Baby Dalupan and Senator Jaworski. They’re always my rivals when I was younger, but since I gotten older, I grew relationships with them. They’re a big part of my life.”
