Greg Slaughter did not hide his excitement, as he now gets to play in a championship series after being robbed of the chance in the 2016 Governors’ Cup and the 2016-17 Philippines Cup Finals, all because of an ACL injury in his right knee.
“I’m really excited, because not only just because I’m coming back, but also it’s my first time (in the Finals) in the PBA,” said Slaughter, after the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel had booked a return trip to the Governor’s Cup title series for a rematch with the Meralco Bolts.
“I’m just really excited but we got to stay on an even keel. Hopefully, we’ll get this first game.”
The 28-year-old admitted that he has yet to reach maximum health, though. But at the same time, the seven-foot slotman is confident that he can bring a lot to the table for the Gin Kings, who now have the biggest line-up in the league.
“The knee is okay. I’m still not 100-percent. I’ve said this conference that I know I still have a lot of work to do, but I’m excited. I think I can contribute a lot in this Finals,” said one of the front-runners in the Best Player of the Conference race, who normed 16 points and 7.25 rebounds in the semis.
“And hopefully, we’ll just get better and better in the Finals.”
Slaughter and the Gin Kings are hard-pressed to repeat as champions. But they all know that it will never be a walk in the park, given how much the Orangemen have improved over the course of 12 months.
“Hopefully we can repeat it this year because we want it so bad,” he said. “[But] nothing’s easy. I expect this next series to be even harder.
“It’s really tough to get wins out, and that’s just how it’s gonna be every game in the Finals.”
