Renaldo Balkman shrugs off ‘war wound’ to keep Beermen going

It may be just a small cut on his left eyelid, but for Renaldo Balkman, it’s a small reminder of how he lays it out on the line for Ginebra.

Balkman suffered the wound in the second quarter of Game 3 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals after catching an inadvertent elbow from Greg Slaughter who went up for a layup with 5:12 in the clock.

“It’s a war wound for me. We just got to keep on fighting, man. I got a lot of wounds but I’m alright,” said Balkman after the Beermen dominated Ginebra, 132-94, for a 2-1 series lead Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Unlike in Game 2 where the emotions ran high leading to the ejections of Arwind Santos and Chris Ross, Game 3 was a more peaceful affair and Balkman wasn’t going to let the accidental hit get to him.

“I’m always riled up, but at the same time you got to remain professional. I’m kind of in the edge but I kept my composure,” said Balkman, who actually had a little conversation with Slaughter after the play but the two brushed off the incident.

“I got to get my team together, get them going, and after halftime we came out in the third quarter and I got them going.”

Balkman finished with a team-high 28 points with 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and three blocks.

And Balkman, after getting bandages for his wound during the halftime break, exploded for 13 points in the Beermen’s 39-21 third-quarter breakaway.

The Beermen’s strong third quarter gave them a 92-72 lead heading into the fourth as the match turned into another blowout for the defending champions who won Game 2 by 25 points, 134-109.

“After halftime we came out in the third quarter and I got them going,” said Balkman. “That was a great thing for me to see with those guys going the way we did.”