PBA Finals: Is Raymond Almazan done for the series? Meralco coach Norman Black thinks so

By Waylon Galvez

Meralco coach Norman Black thinks that it will be tough for Raymond Almazan to return and play the rest of the finals after he suffered a knee injury in Game 3 against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the PBA Governors’ Cup Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Almazan hurt his left knee while going for a layup with 6:09 left in the opening quarter, grimacing in pain before he was helped by teammates to the locker room.

“We found out at halftime that probably we’ll lose Raymond for the rest of the game, and probably for the rest of the series,” said Black after the game.

“He can’t move his leg, and as a former player myself, it’s never a good sign,” he added.

The 62-year-old Black, prior to being a champion coach in the pro league, started as an import in the 80s and has suited up for the Detroit Pistons during the 1980-81 NBA season.

He said it’s hard to come back from any knee injury even if it’s a minor one, especially if one needs a quick recovery to be able to continue playing in the finals.

Nevertheless, the Meralco mentor said he is hoping for the best for Almazan, who is set to have a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test after the game.

“I hope that he’ll be OK. But it’s not something that you’ll just bounce back from,” he said.

Without the 6-foot-9 Almazan, Ginebra unleashed a big third quarter run, and then held on to beat Meralco 92-84 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven title showdown.

Game 4 is scheduled Wednesday at the Big Dome.

A healthy Almazan allows the Bolts to match up against the Ginebra frontline of 6-foot-10 Japeth Aguilar and 7-footer Greg Slaughter. Without him, but Black said they have to dig deep now in their roster.

“Because of what happened, we just have to try and make as many adjustments as we can and be ready for the next game,” said Black.

The Bolts acquired Almazan in a trade with Rain or Shine last conference.

Source: Manila Bulletin