Health is wealth

Barangay Ginebra tries to level the best-of-7 semifinal series count in Game 4 against defending PBA Philippine Cup champion San Miguel Beer at the MOA Arena tonight and coach Tim Cone doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to reactivate 7-foot center Greg Slaughter who’s missed the team’s last six games due to a bad ankle sprain.

Without Slaughter, Ginebra is 4-2. It’s a wonder how Cone has been able to fill the vacuum created by Slaughter’s absence. Slaughter is averaging 16.7 points and 10.6 rebounds this conference. Those numbers aren’t easy to cover. Somehow, Cone has managed to do the nearly impossible. He’s unleashed a seldom-used Prince Caperal, a second round draft pick in 2014, and the former Arellano University center hasn’t disappointed. Caperal, 24, is averaging 15.3 points in the semis, a far cry from what he produced in his first three seasons as a pro with GlobalPort, Barako, Phoenix and Kia.   

Caperal has started the last two games for Ginebra, taking over the center chores from Slaughter and allowing Japeth Aguilar to play the four spot where he is most effective. He’s become JuneMar Fajardo’s primary defender although he gets a lot of help from teammates. If Caperal is on target, Fajardo is forced to play harder on defense. Since Caperal shoots with range, Fajardo has to come out and that opens up offensive rebounding possibilities for Aguilar and Scottie Thompson. 

Caperal is playing without pressure. He has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Ginebra picked him up from the free agents pool after he was cut by Kia. Nobody expected him to play a major role in the semis. So whatever he contributes is a bonus. In Game 3 last Tuesday, Caperal delivered 12 points in 33:09 minutes. And in Game 2 the previous Sunday, he exploded for a career-high 26 points. If and when Slaughter returns to action, Ginebra will enjoy a deeper rotation with Caperal proving himself as a capable fireman off the bench. Before moving to Ginebra, Caperal averaged 2.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 11.2 minutes in five games with Kia this conference.

Slaughter is listed day-to-day just like Mark Caguioa. It’s not certain when they’ll be back in harness. For sure, they’ll give Ginebra a huge lift with their return – if not statistically, emotionally. Cone, meanwhile, has been distributing the minutes of his players carefully, avoiding burn-outs. But in Game 3, LA Tenorio played extended minutes and logged 41:55, the most of any player that night. Cone had no choice. It was a virtual do-or-die situation for Ginebra because another loss would’ve opened a 3-0 lead for San Miguel. 

Tenorio fired 18 points in his first double-figure performance in the series. It’s no secret that he’s Ginebra’s barometer. In Ginebra’s nine wins so far, he’s averaged 18.4 points but in seven losses, his norm fell to 8.9. Joe De Vance is another barometer. Since his return from sick bay, Ginebra is 4-3. In the four wins, JDV averaged 12.8 points but in the three losses, it was down to 6.3.

There were seven Ginebra players who logged at least 20 minutes in Game 3, compared to only four for San Miguel. Fajardo checked in for 39:20 minutes, Alex Cabagnot 39:17, Arwind Santos 35:50 and Marcio Lassiter 35:20. The numbers show that Cone distributed minutes to more players than coach Leo Austria. It didn’t help San Miguel’s cause that Chris Ross sat out the entire second half. If the Beermen are spread too thinly, they’ll be handicapped in a long series.

No doubt, Ginebra’s chances to survive hinge on defense. No way Ginebra can beat the Beermen in a shootout. Ginebra surrendered an average of 103 points in San Miguel’s wins in Games 1 and 2 but held the Beermen to only 87 in winning Game 3. San Miguel’s numbers are showing a decline from Game 1 as Ginebra is adjusting to play a more focused defense. San Miguel’s field goal percentage has dropped from 50.6 percent in Game 1 to 44.7 percent in Game 2 to 35.6 percent in Game 3. The Beermen’s three-point conversions have also taken a dip from 16 of 34 in Game 1 to 9 of 28 in Game 2 to 6 of 29 in Game 3.