Malonzo rues Game 7 absence

Injured Jamie Malonzo couldn’t help but lament on the sidelines as he is set to miss Barangay Ginebra’s sudden-death battle against Meralco in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup semifinals series.

The Filipino-American forward helplessly watched the Kings miss an opportunity to seal the best-of-seven semis and advance to the finals to face defending champion San Miguel Beer.

Instead, Ginebra will head to San Jose, Batangas on Friday for a final showdown against the Bolts.  

“I like Game 7s. So, I’m a little bit frustrated but it’s all good. We’ll get them down there,” Malonzo said after the Kings absorbed an 81-86 loss that evened the series Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

‘I like Game 7s.’

“They didn’t want to go to a Game 7 but hopefully we could get ‘em. People don’t understand how hard it is to be a professional athlete playing all these games, it’s a big load. So, the guys are doing the best they can. Hopefully, they can pull it off in Batangas.”

Malonzo made his first public appearance since going down with a left calf injury after a slip in the waning seconds of Ginebra’s game against NorthPort last 14 April.

The 27-year-old explosive winger underwent surgery three weeks ago.         

“It’s going good, you know, I’m just taking it easy. Not trying to do too much, hopefully, I’ll be able to do some therapy soon and get back to my normal schedule,” Malonzo said.

“That’s my first major injury but you know I feel good, for sure, I’ll be back soon. I’m taking it easy now, I’ll be back.”