Greg Slaughter Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
With its “equalizer” still doubtful, Barangay Ginebra takes on the challenge of toppling the “monster” whose shadow has loomed large over the PBA Philippine Cup in the past three seasons, starting Friday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
As if beating the three-time defending champion San Miguel Beermen over a seven game series is not tough enough, Gin Kings coach Tim Cone, a winner of 22 PBA titles, has to make his team cope with the absence of prized big man Greg Slaughter in the early part of the matchup.
“Our big question mark is if Greg would play,” said Cone.
“If we play Friday, I would say he won’t play. Given another day or two, he may play. But we do expect him to be back sometime in the series. We just hope that we’re still in the series by the time he’s available.”
Slaughter sat out both playoff games against Rain or Shine due to a sprained ankle, but Cone acknowledged that he would need all of his weapons against a star-studded squad like San Miguel.
“That’s a big thing for us, whether Greg can play and help us equalize against San Miguel,” said Cone.
Without Slaughter, the Gin Kings absorbed a 1-4 series loss—a defeat that still lingers for Ginebra veteran LA Tenorio.
“Of course, we’re motivated by payback,” said Tenorio. “Last season, we didnt have Greg. But we came all the way from No. 7, so we just ran our of steam to be honest.”
The Beermen reached the semifinals by disposing of TNT KaTropa, 106-93, in the quarterfinals with Fajardo shooting 35 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
“I think we have enough talent also, enough people also to contain June Mar and their shooters and their bigs, and also, their guards. We’ll see,” Tenorio said.
“It’s gonna be tough for us, definitely. But again, we will fight. We have to really be focused on the game plan especially against June Mar. Really June Mar is playing [on] a different level now.”
Both teams battled in the last Philippine Cup Finals with the Beermen emerging victorious to claim their third straight all-Filipino title.
The winner of this series goes on to play the winner of the other semifinals, which features Magnolia taking on NLEX.
The Road Warriors swept the Alaska Aces, 2-0, during their quarterfinal showdown after a tense 87-83 victory in Game 2 Wednesday night, thus claiming their first Final Four stint in franchise history.