No problem if only Greg in harness

MANILA, Philippines - Ginebra guard Sol Mercado said the Barangay would never have dropped down to a twice-to-win disadvantage if Greg Slaughter were available to play in the PBA Philippine Cup but with or without the seven-foot center, the man called Soul Train vowed to give it all they’ve got in the winner-take-all showdown with Alaska for the right to advance to the semifinals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.

“Nothing’s guaranteed even with Greg,” said Mercado who was named Best Player in Ginebra’s 85-81 escape act over the Aces at the Ynares Center in Antipolo last Sunday to force a deciding rematch. “But for sure, with Greg around, we wouldn’t be in this predicament.”

Ginebra finished No. 7 and Alaska, No. 2 at the end of the eliminations. Because of the seeding, Alaska gained a twice-to-beat advantage over Ginebra. With Ginebra’s win last Sunday, tonight’s game is a do-or-die both ways.

Slaughter suffered an ACL injury in a Governors Cup game against Mahindra last September and is out between six to nine months. With rehab, Slaughter should be back in action late in the second conference this season or early in the third.

Mercado delivered 12 points and six assists off the bench in last Sunday’s thriller where Ginebra came back from 17 down to trigger a scorching 21-0 run in the third period. Alaska was up, 41-29, at the turn and Mercado said coach Tim Cone reminded the team in the dugout not to be overeager.

“I was surprised that even as we shot the ball so poorly in the first half, we were just down by 12,” said Mercado. “At halftime, coach Tim told us we were trying too hard, to relax a little bit, that we had 24 more minutes to regain our rhythm. We tightened up defensively, forced some turnovers to get easy buckets and suddenly, our rhythm was back. Everyone stepped up. Jay (Helterbrand) and Mark (Caguioa) brought a lot of energy to the game and did what they do best. They’re the Never Say Die guys and that spirit rubs off on all of us.”

Mercado said Ginebra can’t afford to start slowly tonight. “It doesn’t look like Joe (De Vance) can play so we’ll need to cover for him,” he said. “We’ve got to start strong. Last Sunday, we did a good job of limiting Vic (Manuel) with Dave (Marcelo) defending the post and Japeth (Aguilar) on the help side. Kevin (Ferrer) also defended Vic. I picked up Jvee (Casio) who’s been playing well lately. Our coaches told me to just stay in his space, chase him down, stick to his hip. It’s a challenge to stop Jvee.”

Manuel averaged 18 points in Alaska’s previous three games which the Aces won but last Sunday, delivered only nine points in 18:01 minutes. Alaska coach Alex Compton opted for a combination of Sonny Thoss, Calvin Abueva and Kevin Racal in the frontline, leaving Manuel for relief duty. Racal was matched up against Scottie Thompson. Casio finished with 16 points, 11 in the second half.

Mercado said he has the utmost respect for Abueva who had 20 points and 10 boards. “If I’m given a choice of one man to go to war with, I’d pick Calvin,” he said. “Last Sunday, as I walked by on the court, he bumped me. That’s Calvin, he does what he does. He tries to get under your skin, he plays with your head. You can’t let your emotions get the better of you. Coach Tim did right in sitting me down so I could refocus and get my head straight. Calvin can really mess your mind up.”

Mercado didn’t start the game last Sunday but shared a lot of minutes with L. A. Tenorio and Thompson. “I’m comfortable playing with L. A. and Scottie,” he said. “I think we make each other better. We showed it last conference. Any of us can bring the ball up so it keeps the other team off-balance.”

Mercado went to Cardinal Santos Hospital to check on De Vance right after the contest. De Vance went down in pain with 7:31 left in the third period and Alaska on top, 51-37. Mercado stayed with De Vance until 1:30 in the morning. Doctors were scheduled to release the findings of his MRI late yesterday.

“The initial diagnosis is Joe suffered a tear in the sole of his foot,” said Mercado. “I understand that’s not such a bad thing. Joe’s been feeling pain in his foot for a while. It’s a plantar fasciitis condition. Now that the ligament is torn, the healing can start. I’m not sure how long the healing process will take. I know it will mean total rest but someone told me he could be back in a week.”