BIG CONFIDENCE BOOSTER
With Barangay Ginebra San Miguel clinging on to an 81-76 lead over Air21 in the final minute, Zaccheus Mason was forced to throw up a jumper as the shot clock expired.
The ball hit the board and bounced to the front iron and onto the waiting arms of two purple shirts and a white one in the paint. Against the numbers, it was the white-shirted guy’s arms which tipped the ball first.
“I just got the ball and I knew I had a chance when it was tipped up in the air,” Greg Slaughter said.
Asi Taulava jumped in an attempt to grab the ball for himself. With The Rock out of position, Slaughter grabbed his fourth offensive rebound and powered his way past the hapless Joseph Yeo, scoring on an and-one play with 55.2 seconds remaining and nailing the bonus freebie to make the game a three-possession game, basically putting the game out of reach.
“I just grabbed it. I knew once I tipped it, Asi was out of position so I had a pretty good look at the hoop,” he said.
Against the bulkier frontline of Taulava and Dominique Sutton for the Express, the top pick in the 2013 Rookie Draft finished with 12 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, and two rejections in his 35 minutes of action in Ginebra’s 84-76 victory, the team’s third straight in the 2014 PLDT Home Telpad PBA Governors’ Cup to remain as the only undefeated team.
But for the leading Rookie of the Year candidate, it wasn’t an easy night.
“It’s pretty tough cause Asi’s big, experienced, and strong, and I’ve learned a lot from him. He’s just so experienced,” Slaughter said. “It’s a tough battle, but at the end of the day, its Ginebra versus Air21. I got my teammates all behind me and thankfully, we got the job done today.”
Facing a resurgent Taulava, the 7-foot Slaughter knew the challenge the 41-year-old will be bringing to the game.
“I knew my hands are going to be full tonight. Asi’s been doing it for so many years in the PBA,” he said.
“He’s one of the first people I saw in the PBA All-Star in Cebu. He’s always been a big brother to me, teaching me in Gilas and along the way. Anytime I go up against him, it’s always nice to put myself to the test. I know he’s one of the best to play in the PBA.”
With Ginebra being the only team to not taste a loss this conference, Slaughter said that it helps the team’s confidence as they are a new team learning a new system under new coach Jeffrey Cariaso.
“It’s a big confidence boost. I think its the first time that we really got pressured coming into our triangle,” he said.
“Every game is a learning experience for us, so it’s just a big confidence boost that we’re 3-0 right now.” (RL)
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