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PBA: Unleashed ‘Greg-zilla’ wakes up in time to lead Ginebra to crucial win

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/sports/10/22/102217-greg.jpg"/><figcaption>Slaughter finished with 17 points, but it was his work in the shaded lane that keyed Ginebra’s 85-74 win on Sunday for a 3-2 series lead in the PBA Governors’ Cup best-of-7 finals. PBA Media Bureau</figcaption></figure></div>Maybe it was being part of the starting unit and that role change that pushed Greg Slaughter to assert himself more in Game 5.Whatever it was, Barangay Ginebra was happy to see the best local player of the conference live up to that accolade.Slaughter finished with 17 points, but it was “Greg-zilla’s” destructive, disruptive presence in the shaded lane that keyed Ginebra’s 85-74 win on Sunday for a 3-2 series lead in the PBA Governors’ Cup best-of-7 finals.He was a behemoth down low, grabbing 16 rebounds and 6 blocks after totaling just 22 rebounds and 7 blocks in the first 4 games.“I’m just glad we got the win,” Slaughter said. “Coach gave me the starting job and I didn’t want to disappoint him or my teammates.”<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/10/22/17/pba-ginebra-outlasts-meralco-now-a-win-away-from-championship">PBA: Ginebra outlasts Meralco in Game 5, now a win away from title</a></li></ul>Slaughter normally comes in to spell Japeth Aguilar, but they switched parts in the hopes that, with the much taller and heavier Slaughter on the floor from the get-go, Allen Durham would be made to work harder.Ginebra coach Tim Cone got what he wanted out of that lineup tweak — only the fifth time in 21 games this conference that Slaughter started — as Ginebra raced to an 18-point lead and limited Meralco to just 15 points and 5 field goals in the game’s first 15 minutes.In the first quarter alone, Slaughter had 3 blocks.“Greg made a statement right off the bat with some tough rebounds,” Tim Cone said.“He went in and sealed on and got physical with Durham and those were the two things, the biggest difference makers between Game 5, and Games 3 and 4.”When Meralco tied the score in the third, Ginebra took advantage of what looked like a gassed Bolts squad to pull away from that point onward.Slaughter loomed large again in that breakaway in the fourth, tallying 8 points, 5 rebounds and a block, similar or even better numbers than he posted the entirety of Game 2 (3 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks) and Game 4 (6 points, 5 rebounds, 0 blocks).His Game 5 statline is far better than his conference averages (14.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks) until the end of the semifinals, numbers that helped him be considered for best player of the tournament.Because of his effort on Sunday, he may end up with another, more eventful accomplishment this week — a championship. “We were gonna win this with team effort. It was just my night tonight,” Slaughter said.For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com" target="_blank">ABS-CBN Sports website.</a>

Slaughter finished with 17 points, but it was his work in the shaded lane that keyed Ginebra’s 85-74 win for a 3-2 series lead in the PBA Governors’ Cup finals.

Slaughter finished with 17 points, but it was his work in the shaded lane that keyed Ginebra’s 85-74 win for a 3-2 series lead in the PBA Governors’ Cup finals.