MANILA, Philippines - While some would opt to take the backseat at crunch time, Barangay Ginebra’s Mike Cortez and Meralco’s Macmac Cardona would rather take over in the stretch for their respective teams.
The duo had consistently shone the most in realizing crucial wins in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, making them the Accel-PBA Press Corps Co-Players of the Week for the period March 26 to April 1.
It was the second such citation in three weeks for Cardona and Cortez’s second for the season and a tie between the two former La Salle standouts simply could not be ignored.
Cardona sizzled for averages of 23 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in Meralco’s victories over Powerade and B-Meg that not only pushed the Bolts to the quarterfinals but moved them tantalizingly close to a first-ever semifinals appearance.
Cortez had his own impressive numbers of 16.5 points, 8.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in Ginebra’s triumphs over Air21 and B-Meg that gave the Kings the second and last automatic semifinals berth.
“He is amazing,” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio of his prized guard. “Not only is he scoring big numbers, he is also doing it in the most crucial stages of the game.”
Cardona first showed that in Meralco’s 102-98 win over Powerade last Friday in their one-game playoff for the last slot in the quarterfinals, when he tallied 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
He returned just two days later to pump in 22 points on top of nine rebounds and four feeds in the Bolts’ 103-81 victory over B-Meg at the start of their best-of-three series. His output included 11 points during a blistering endgame surge that pulled them away for good from a tight 80-77 count.
“Macmac has an incredible desire to win,” added Gregorio. “He keeps his focus on the task at hand despite the heckles from the crowd. A true mark of a winner who thrives through adversity. Always nice to have somebody like that in your team. Great to have Macmac in our team.”
Cortez would not be outdone. The top pick in the 2003 Rookie Draft notched 18 points, on 7-for-12 field shooting, and nine assists in a 103-87 win over Air21 last Wednesday that formalized Ginebra’s playoffs appearance for the 15th straight time and gave it the chance to play off for the No. 2 seeding.
The 31-year-old helped make sure the opportunity did not pass the Kings by as he scored 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds and issued a gamehigh eight dimes in a come-from-behind 93-84 victory over B-Meg last Friday.
For sure, Ginebra and Meralco are up for tougher grinds ahead. But big games from players like Cortez and Cardona make said teams more optimistic they will overcome the odds.