Winning without Ping

Marc Pingris has long been the heart and soul of the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers. James Yap is the face of the franchise, PJ Simon is their silent killer, Mark Barroca is their budding superstar, and Joe Devance is their glue. But Pingris is the heart that pumps blood into their system.

In Game 4 of the PLDT myDSL Philippine Cup Finals, Pingris was having one of his all-around games. He had six points, six rebounds, and three assists in 27 minutes. He stayed out of Yap’s way, allowing him to score 14 points in the first quarter. He clapped from the bench when rookie Ian Sangalang scored 10 points in the second quarter.

His name didn’t appear much in the stat sheet but his imprint on the game was undeniable. He defended anyone in Rain or Shine’s lineup, bumping bodies with JR Quinahan and Beau Belga, staying in front of Paul Lee’s crossovers, and chasing Jeff Chan through multiple picks.

Pingris has been the Mixers’ security blanket. But in the second half of Game 4, the other Mixers had to survive without him. They needed to grow up fast and learn how to cope without the player who always had their backs. Going for a rebound, Pingris was accidentally poked in the eye by Quinahan.

Although flopping has been more and more prevalent in the PBA, Pingris never joined the norm. If he’s down, you can be sure that it’s because he couldn’t get up anymore. The Mixers defended courageously without him but the Elasto Painters got a bucket in that possession. The situation forced a technical timeout where the Mixers were faced with the grim reality that they would be playing without Ping.

The Elasto Painters turned a 10–point halftime disadvantage to a six-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. Even their fans would have understood if they cracked because they have cracked so many times before against Rain or Shine. But instead of breaking down and feeling bad about themselves, the Mixers fought back. No single player can fill the void left by Pingris so every single player stepped up.

“Hindi ako natakot. Kung matatakot ka kasi, di ka makakapaglaro ng maayos,” said Sangalang. Without Pingris clapping on the sidelines, the rookie showed that what he has learned from the veteran forward is already enough to hang with the Extra Rice boys, at least for a quarter. “Nung umalis si kuya Ping, inexpect ko na ako yung sasalo nung oras niya. Sinabi ko na lang na gagawin ko yung kaya ko para di masyadong maramdaman yung pag-alis niya.”

Barroca also made his presence felt in the fourth, stepping up as the team’s most vocal leader. “Alam ko kailangan ko mag-step-up. Kahit di sa scoring, basta pakita ko yung leadership na kailangan,” Barroca said. “Basta dapat control ko yung tempo namin. Di ko naman kailangang maka-score.” But he did anyway, dropping 10 points in the quarter.

Before he left the bench, Pingris talked to Yap and Simon who were also resting. It was a short talk but packed with inspiration.

“Sabi niya sa amin, ‘Tol, wag kayong pumayag na palampasin pa natin ito. Kunin na natin ito.’ Sabi niya kami na daw muna yung bahala,” Simon said. “Syempre may worry na mawawala si Ping. Halos sa lahat ng battle magkasama kami kaya alam ko yung value niya sa team.”

“Sabi ko sa kanya wag na siya mag-alala, kami na bahala dito,” Yap added. “Sabi ko mas isipin niya na lang kung paano gagaling yung mata niya. Ilalaban na lang naming siya.”

In Pingris’ absence, Simon and Yap, two players who have seen it all with their franchise, saw a silver lining.

“Yung maganda lang, nakita naming kahit na injured si Ping, nandun pa rin yung character ng team,” Simon said. “Ito yung maganda sa team na ito. Pag merong nangyaring mga ganyan, meron siguradong mag-s-step-up,” Yap added.

But among all of the Mixers, it was the change in Devance’s game that was most noticeable. Devance has always been seen as this antithesis of Pingris. The former is a finesse player who relies on one handers and long shots. The latter is all about brute force and raw emotion. For years, the two have complemented each other. But now Devance had to step up for Pingris.

“I was worried for a while but just to be honest I was just too focused on the game,” Devance said. “My game isn’t about getting points. It’s getting everybody involved.”

A member of the media pointed out that he scored eight points in the fourth quarter. “Did I really?? Devance sheepishly replied.

Belga and Quinahan would have loved to be matched up with Devance. Without Pingris, the two bruisers would usually dominate the paint. But in the fourth quarter, Extra Rice Inc. only managed to score five points. Devance, with a lot of help from Rafi Reavis, actually outplayed the ROS frontline.

“We all played big tonight as we were missing Ping,” he deflected. “I don’t think we can win too many games without him but that shows the heart of the team. We have no quit.”

They have no quit. Present tense. If Devance used the past tense, the statement would turn out to be false. They have quit in past games against the Elasto Painters. They allowed Rain or Shine to take the fight away from them so many times before. Oftentimes, Pingris was the last to keep fighting. But for this game, his teammates told Pingris that they learned enough from his example. The Mixers told Pingris that this time, they got his back.