Cone says Slaughter outplayed Fajardo defensively
FOR MANY years, Greg Slaughter, the seven-foot slotman and long-time rival of June Mar Fajardo, has always served as a foot note to the dominance of the 6-foot-10 Cebuano who became the first player in PBA history to win the Most Valuable Player award for three straight seasons.
But on Wednesday night, in probably Barangay Ginebra’s most important game of the season, Mr. Slaughter got the better of his match up against Mr. Fajardo as the Gin Kings ushered the San Miguel Beermen to the exit door and denied them a grand slam.
Multi-titled coach Tim Cone, head mentor of the Gin Kings, believes Mr. Slaughter, his main man up front, was able to dominate Mr. Fajardo in their muchawaited matchup, particularly on the defensive end.
“June Mar has won so many championships. But the best part about Greg is his defense. He didn’t back down from June Mar and really played great defense against him,” Mr. Cone told BusinessWorld in an interview.
In their quarterfinals showdown, Mr. Fajardo did come up with 22 rebounds on top of 19 markers, but Mr. Slaughter was able to limit his production particularly during a stretch when the Gin Kings were pulling away.
Mr. Cone considers Mr. Fajardo as the most dominant force in the league, but he believes Slaughter is not far behind.
“Before I became his (Slaughter) coach, I’ve always felt that June Mar was a better defender, but tonight (Wednesday), Greg outdefended him,” added Mr. Cone.
For Mr. Cone, having Slaughter back only this conference is still a work in progress. The team is still trying to explore its schemes anchored on its main man up front.
“We’re still trying to figure out Greg. We only had 12 games with Greg since he had been back. We’re still trying to figure out how he fits in. It’s the first time we really pounded the ball inside and came out with a big lineup,” added Mr. Cone.
With Slaughter back in peak form, the Gin Kings have fortified their title retention aspirations this conference.
“I think we’ll continue to improve. We’ll get better.” —