Caguioa confident Ginebra can ‘pull through’ without him

MANILA, Philippines—Mark Caguioa, the heart and soul of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, believes the Kings can manage without his services.

So far, Ginebra had been coping well sans its leader, making the playoffs and even knocking off a heavily favored opponent in Rain or Shine to crash into the semifinals despite having a twice-to-beat advantage.

“I know they will pull through. Look at the way we’ve been playing, even LA didn’t have a good game, other guys stepped up,” said a confident Caguioa following his team’s 81-79 squeaker over ROS late Monday night.

“It’s not even about scoring, it’s just about how we play well on defense and that’s how we played tonight.”

The reigning PBA MVP also remained optimistic that he’d be able to see action anytime soon.

Caguioa hopes to make his much awaited return during the Kings best-of-five semis series with rival Talk ‘N Text.

“I’m doing my best to get back in shape. Hopefully I could be there in the semis. But right now, these guys aren’t thinking about me. Like I said, if they keep winning, my name is not going to be there. I don’t want them to be looking for me that’s why I want them to keep winning,” said Caguioa, who is still recuperating from a knee injury he suffered a month ago.

The six-foot-one guard, who gauged himself as just 75 percent ready, is averaging close to 23 points per game this conference.