Mr. Purple Heart

There’s a reason why Joe De Vance has been and remains a fixture on coach Tim Cone’s teams from Alaska to Purefoods to Barangay Ginebra in the PBA. He fits into whatever system Cone employs, whether it’s the triangle offense or what the PBA’s winningest coach calls his read-and-react approach to the game. 

De Vance, 35, has the unique ability to play multiple positions, something that lights up Cone’s eyes. He can bring the ball up like a point forward in the mold of Scottie Pippen or Paul Pressey. At 6-6, he’s a mismatch at the three spot with his range and mobility to slash. De Vance can also play four or five, depending on whom he’s defending or who’s defending him. The seven championships that De Vance has under his belt were all won with Cone at the helm.

But more than anything, De Vance plays with a lot of heart, make that a purple heart. In the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup Finals, De Vance takes at least two pain-killing shots for every game. Ginebra assistant coach Richard del Rosario said De Vance takes a shot about 30 minutes before tip-off and if necessary, another injection at halftime. A source said a needle that’s about two or three inches long is inserted into his foot so the needle hits the bone for maximum effectivity. That’s no joke. There are grown men who turn squeamish when a needle is poked into their arm for a blood sample. For De Vance, taking one or two shots just to play a game is no big deal.

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This conference, De Vance has started every single game he’s played for Ginebra except the three contests coming off a three-game layoff after tearing the plantar fascia in his left foot. The plantar fascia is the ligament or tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes and supports the arch. If the plantar fascia is inflamed or irritated, it’s difficult to walk without pain in the heel. In De Vance’s case, his plantar fascia was torn during the first of Ginebra’s two do-or-die games against Alaska in the quarterfinals. He rested a week then was cleared to play starting Game 3 of the Star semifinal series. Someone said it was a blessing that De Vance tore the ligament because the pain would be unbearable if the tissue was swollen and untorn. 

When De Vance was reactivated, Ginebra trailed 0-2 in the Star tie. With De Vance back on board, Ginebra won four of the next five games to clinch. That’s no coincidence. De Vance means that much to Ginebra. Against San Miguel Beer in the Finals, De Vance had three points and six rebounds in 17:33 minutes of Game 1 which the Beermen won, 109-82, at the MOA Arena last Friday. In Game 2, he compiled 16 points and seven boards in 32:55 minutes as Ginebra beat San Miguel, 124-118, in overtime in Lucena last Sunday. If not for De Vance, Ginebra would’ve lost. It was De Vance who followed up his own miss with a fraction of a second left to send the out-of-town encounter into overtime. It was also De Vance who was June Mar Fajardo’s primary defender. Fajardo fouled out with less than three minutes to go in regulation with 10 points and seven boards in 26:23 minutes, way below his conference averages of 18.8 points, 14.4 rebounds and 34.8 minutes. When Fajardo was disqualified, De Vance switched to Arwind Santos then late in extension, moved to Gabby Espinas. He had the toughest defensive assignments but went about his business like he wasn’t playing hurt.

Ginebra’s interior defense on San Miguel’s bigs and slashers was a huge factor in Game 2. In the series opener, San Miguel scored 60 points in the paint and shot 53 percent from the floor. In Game 2, the Beermen hit only 42 points in the paint and was held to 43 percent from the field. De Vance played a big role in the turnaround, particularly in limiting Fajardo’s field goal attempts to only five.

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De Vance shot nine of his 16 points in the fourth period where San Miguel wrested the lead after trailing by 26 in the second quarter. That was when Ginebra made its stand to do or die. If Ginebra lost Game 2, it would be extremely difficult to avoid a San Miguel sweep.

In two Finals games so far, San Miguel’s R. R. Garcia hasn’t played because of a shoulder injury and his absence is an advantage for Ginebra. In Game 3 tomorrow, it’s still not certain if Garcia will play. Also doubtful is Ginebra’s Jervy Cruz who hurt his shoulder last Sunday. An MRI was scheduled yesterday to determine the extent of Cruz’ injury. Cruz and Kevin Ferrer are Cone’s chief relievers for De Vance. Without Cruz, De Vance may be forced to play longer than usual.

San Miguel’s 27-point win in Game 1 is now a forgotten thing. In the Governors Cup semifinals last season, San Miguel trounced Ginebra by 29 in Game 4 but Ginebra bounced back to win Game 5 by 25 to clinch the series. Clearly, a blowout in a game during a series means nothing more than just one win. Last Sunday, Ginebra flirted with disaster when its defense collapsed in allowing San Miguel to score 39 points in the third period. In overtime, Ginebra’s defense was revived in holding the Beermen to only eight points. That was Cone’s reminder to his team that unless Ginebra plays defense, there’s no way it can beat San Miguel in a shootout.