“I ain’t done (expletive) man!" were the words that came out of this frustrated player. This after already registering 11 points, 6 rebounds and 1 officially recorded block in 23 minutes of intense floor time, and coming up with key defensive plays, two big duty fouls to stop TnT breaks, and inspiring the rest of the Beermen to turn it up yet another notch.

The trainers prepared the mat where the 6’7" swingman was to be stretched out... his right leg was cramping up! Starting from the calf muscle, up the thigh and extending to the buttocks area, Washington was in excruciating pain.

It may have been the humidity of that day in Negros Island, the unfamiliarity of the surroundings, having slept on a strange hotel bed (which might have been too short, I know mine was), or the fever-pitch atmosphere of a hard-fought Finals-opener... Whatever the reason was, Washington was down for the count.

After the training staff had worked arduously on his leg, Jay hobbled back to the SMB bench by the start of the final frame, when they still hung on to a 1-point lead. From his vantage point, he saw his Beermen get locked down for the first three-and-a-half minutes of that fourth quarter as Talk N’ Text bridged the last two quarters with a 12-0 run. The trainers resumed working on his leg, leaving Wash all the more helpless.

Six minutes remain of a 6-point game. Coach Ato Agustin looks his way. J-Wash jumps out of his seat and is ready to get back in the thick of it. After awkwardly running the length of the floor, he steps into a wide-open (and long) three-pointer from the left wing. “Yes Siir!" Mico Halili exclaims. Nothing but the bottom of the net! The San Miguel faithful in the sold-out venue erupt. Washington had just brought the Beermen to within three points heading into the stretch.

But just like that, everybody in the building could tell something was wrong. Jay hobbled back to play defense... trying his darndest to keep in step. After Ryan Reyes countered with his own 3-ball, and Alapag hit on a 2-on-1 fastbreak layup, Kelly Williams took it to Jay by scooping it up off the glass while gaining a foul. And that was all she wrote.

The 29-year-old J-Wash, on a vengeful mission against his former employers, could do no more.

After playing a league-high 38.2 minutes per game heading into the Finals, his Game 1 was done. Jay registered 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a block (not counting all of the changed shots) in just 29 minutes of action.

In the semis against Barangay Ginebra, the 2005 top overall pick came out with a monster game of 19 points, 20 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks in 54 minutes of their double-OT win in Game 4. Held down to 5 points and 4 rebounds in 24 minutes in a blowout loss in Game 5, he bounced back with 12 and 15 that helped clinch the series in Game 6.

With four days to recover heading into Game 2 (which already includes traveling back to Manila on Sunday), can the reigning 3-time Player of the Week bounce back? Can last season’s Fiesta Cup Best Player of the Conference once again dominate and restate his case for this Phil Cup’s BPC race? Will he be able to put up the numbers and bring on the pain?

The bottom line is: Can this warrior once again inspire?

Wednesday will have all the answers as the second chapter of this epic battle continues, this time at the Cuneta Astrodome at 7pm.

Magoo Marjon, GMA News TV