With his fellow star big man Japeth Aguilar in sick bay due to a strained calf, Ginebra ace Christian Standhardinger has stepped up, averaging a double-double to put the Kings on the cusp of returning to the Governors’ Cup finals.
His efforts did not go unnoticed as he was named PBA Player of the Week for the period of March 23 to 27. Without his regular partner, Standhardinger did not only hold the fort but owned the paint to propel Ginebra to a 2-1 series lead over NLEX in the best-of-five semifinals. The Fil-German stepped up big time in three games so far, averaging 14.3 points on 48-percent shooting clip, 13.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists.
Standhardinger started the series with 10 points and 12 rebounds at a time Aguilar aggravated his calf injury, complementing import Justin Brownlee, LA Tenorio, and Scottie Thompson in the Kings’ 95-86 win. The 6-foot-9 bruiser then bullied his way to a 17-point, 11-rebound stats line on 8-of-14 shooting in Game 2 as Ginebra zoomed to a 2-0 lead with a 104-94 victory.
In Game 3, Standhardinger delivered anew with a huge double-double of 16 points and 16 rebounds, although Ginebra fell short of completing a sweep and quick passage to the championship round with a razor-thin 86-85 loss to the Road Warriors.
“Just trying to fulfill whatever role is best for the team to give us the biggest chance to win,” said Standhardinger, who’s also the primary defender against NLEX import Cameron Clark.
But for him, the job is not yet done as the Kings try to finish anew the Road Warriors in Game 4 Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
"I hope we can make it," he concluded. (JNP)