From bench to court, Malonzo 'feels good to be back' in Ginebra's Finals rematch vs TNT

Just four months ago, Jamie Malonzo watched on as Ginebra fell short against TNT in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup Finals.

Looking back, Malonzo said that being a spectator on the bench when he could have made a difference for his team by playing alongside them was hard for him.

“I wanted to play really bad. It’s always tough,” Malonzo said.

[WATCH: Ginebra routs NorthPort again, marches to Finals | PBA Highlights]

But the former La Salle standout was nursing a calf injury then.

Now that he has recovered from his injury — that led to a nine-month layoff — and is slowly regaining his full strength, Malonzo gets another shot as he and the Gin Kings were given a do-over as they once again clash with the Tropang Giga in the Commissioner's Cup best-of-seven championship beginning Friday, March 14.

The Ginebra Gin Kings forge a Finals rematch with the TNT Tropang Giga in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup. | Photo (c) RM Chua/One Sports

While he may have ridden the bench the last time they met, Malonzo actually saw the good in that moment — he could observe and assess how he could contribute to the team.

“But being on the bench, you can see where you can impact the game. And, once we put all the pieces together, I think we got a good shot of competing for a title,” said Malonzo.

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Malonzo savors the opportunity to apply the lessons he learned now that he is back on the court.

“It feels good. Feels good to be back. Of course, familiar territory. I love playing in [in the Finals], that’s where you dream of playing. So it feels good,” Malonzo said.