Masking the pain

Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

San Miguel’s drive for a top two berth at the end of the PBA Philippine Cup eliminations starts against Blackwater today, but whether or not the Beermen can play in full force for the second half of the round will depend largely on how Alex Cabagnot reacts to a protective mask he needs to wear.

The league-leading Beermen’s top point guard will have his face gear ready for the 7 p.m. clash with the Elite at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, but whether he plays comfortable in it or not will more or less dictate whether he gets an operation to correct a nasal injury.

Team manager Gee Abanilla confirmed to the Inquirer yesterday that the injury “needs an operation,” and that it would be entirely up to Cabagnot if he can play with the face mask and forego the surgery for a later date.

“There’s a slight deformity,” said Abanilla of Cabagnot’s nose, which was hit hard by a Cliff Hodge elbow in the fourth quarter of a lopsided win against Meralco just before the holidays.

San Miguel, at 5-1, has a two-game winning streak going and coach Leo Austria made it no secret that his Beermen want to stay atop the heap, or finish the eliminations at least at No. 2 to guarantee a lighter assignment in the first round of the playoffs.
Cabagnot has been initially ruled out for this game as he has been unable to practice with contact with the team, sticking to individual drills with Austria and the rest of coaching staff, wary of aggravating the injury.

But if the mask fits, Cabagnot will be ready to go against an Elite squad that also has a crack guard rotation.

Should Cabagnot decide to go under the knife, the Beermen, according to Abanilla, could miss him for “3 to 5 weeks.” San Miguel will clash with sister team Barangay Ginebra on Sunday and has games against Rain or Shine, GlobalPort and TNT KaTropa remaining in its schedule.

Blackwater couldn’t end last year on a bright note after dropping a 97-93 overtime decision to lowly Mahindra at Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

The Elite blew a 15-point fourth quarter lead to go down in flames against a team no one has given a second look. It was definitely a bitter lesson for Blackwater to learn, more so in this season where it has made heads turn and is slowly gaining the respect of the field.

Mac Belo will be the main man for coach Leo Isaac, whose biggest defensive concern would be June Mar Fajardo, the reigning three-time MVP, as the Elite have no one to match up against the 6-foot-10 Cebuano one-on-one.

Arwind Santos, Marcio Lassiter and Chris Ross are the others that Austria could turn to.

Meanwhile, GlobalPort and Meralco try to snap out of losing streaks at 4:15 p.m.