THE pain in his ribs has lingered, but Marc Pingris is not about to miss Game Two of San Mig's PBA Commissioner's Cup quarterfinal playoff against Alaska.
The Mixers are 0-1 down to Alaska in the best-of-three series and on the brink of elimination, but Pingris said they are not ready to take a vacation yet.
He said he’s even willing to take a shot of anaesthesia if needed just to make sure he could play “pain-free” in Game Two on Wednesday, when the Mixers fight for dear life.
“Di ko excuse yung ganung (rib injury) bagay. May time na tinatamaan siya kapag pumo-poste ako, pero bahala na, kung kailangang mag-inject ng anesthesia, sige lang, basta goal ko is dedepensa ako para makatulong,” Pingris told Spin.ph on Tuesday before the team’s practice at the Ronac gym.
The 6-foor-5 forward took pain relievers and wore a protective pad on Monday, but admitted feeling some discomfort. He only scored four points and grabbed five rebounds in 25 foul-plagued minutes and Alaska went on to win, 97-88.
It was Pingris’ first game since bruising his left in the team’s elimination-round game against San Miguel Beer, getting hit successively by Doug Kramer and June Mar Fajardo.
“May hangin naman, di naman nawawala, pero nakakailang lang kasi ang dami ko ring miss sa tira ko na malapit lang,” he said, pointing to his left rib.
The Mixers’ offense went silent during a critical six-minute stretch after engaging the Aces in a tight contest for much of the series opener. The shooting struggle midway through the fourth period allowed the Aces to make one huge scoring surge to take the win.
Pingris, a six-time member of the PBA All-Defensive team, also noted that winning a third straight league championship remains a strong motivation for him and the San Mig team.
“Nung start ng conference, napag-usapan din namin yun (winning a third straight PBA title), siyempre, ang sarap ng feeling. Kaya pupukpok kami bukas (in Game Two),” Pingris said.
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