MANILA – Rain or Shine Elasto Painters’ guard Chris Tiu had a rare show of anger after getting hit with an elbow to the face by GlobalPort Batang Pier’s import Malcolm White during their 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup game on Sunday.
Tiu, who sustained a busted lip, had to be restrained by his teammates as he tried to confront White after being down on the floor, spewing some blood, for several minutes.
“Siyempre, sino ba hindi magagalit sa ganyang aksyon,” said Tiu. “It was clearly an intentional elbow. He has been rough the entire game. Unfortunately, I didn’t see it coming at all. He got me clean.”
“I think this is the worst, the hardest hit I ever got in my entire basketball career. I lost consciousness for maybe two seconds,” he added. “Para akong na-(Manny) Pacquiao hit.”
“The first thing I checked was my tooth. It was still there. The tooth went through the gum. Really deep. My teeth were still in place. My gum opened up. The teeth didn’t go through, it pierced through,” he said.
But Tiu had a semblance of revenge after hitting two crucial baskets in the endgame that shattered Batang Pier’s chances – and getting adjudged Player of the Game in their 96-90 win.
“The best revenge was to win the game. And I’m glad that we pulled through,” said the former Ateneo Blue Eagles star. “I’m glad I was able to help the team come out with the victory.”
White insisted the hit was not intentional. He said he was supposed to apologize to Tiu after the match. But he was intentionally shouldered by Tiu’s teammate Raymond Almazan late in the game, causing him a busted lip as well.
“I didn’t do that purposely,” White said. “I was going to apologize, tell him, ‘Hey man, sorry. I didn’t mean to do it.’ But they took it the wrong way and they put a player in and hit it out on me.”
“They sent Raymond in. I jumped for the ball and he took his shoulder, busted my lip and hit me up in my chin. That was dirty,” he added. “If they want to take it that way, then hey, we’ll see them again in the playoffs, hopefully.”/PN
