PBA: The return of the Mac - a limited Ross gives Cardona a chance to regain his form

The Meralco Bolts entered this conference no longer Sol Mercado's team. With Mercado shipped to GlobalPort, many expected Mac Cardona to take over a struggling side. Instead, the team made it into the middle-of-the-pack with a 4-5 record, entering Wednesday's game. Surprisingly though, it had very little to do with Cardona, and more with point guard Chris Ross. In fact, Ross' success has pushed Cardona into a secondary role. So much so that in Meralco's last two games, Cardona averaged a measly 2.5 points, a far cry from what he is capable of. He was scoreless against the San Mig Coffee Mixers and only managed five points against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. However, Ross injured his foot in that loss against the Barangay last Friday, and just like that Cardona was again thrust under the spotlight. When their floor general went down with an injury, it was natural for their best soldier to step up and take his place. It's a place Cardona is very familiar with, but it's something he has not been able to do in a very long while. [Related: Cardona cans 30 as Meralco deals GlobalPort another loss] In their game Wednesday against GlobalPort Batang Pier, Meralco's offense was largely stagnant because Ross, their primary playmaker, had to play limited minutes. In response, the real Mac Cardona returned in the second quarter. "Captain Hook" dropped 15 points in the second period, giving his Bolts some breathing space against a desperate GlobalPort squad. After Cardona sank his first three of the game, Cliff Hodge stood up to applaud his efforts. After he made his second, Paul Artadi joined in. After his third triple, almost all of the people on Meralco's bench stood up in appreciation. They knew what the moment signified. They were in for one of those special Mac Cardona nights. In the third quarter, after Cardona sank another one of his patented hook shots over the outstretched arms of Japeth Aguilar, it was Sunday Salvacion who did Cardona's "anong height mo?" routine. Captain Hook looked at him, smiled, nodded, and ran down to play defense. With a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter, Cardona buckled down and stepped in front and center to finish what he started. He scored four free throws and got a steal to seal his side's 103-92 win. "I never lost hope in him," said Gregorio after the game. "Even if he was struggling, I never lost hope that he'll snap out of his funk and figure it all out. He's too good a player to play badly in three consecutive games." Cardona scored 30 points in this outing game on a stellar 50 percent clip from the field. "Yung problema ko talaga nung last two games yung confidence ko e," admitted Cardona. "Sa mukha ko pa lang, sa galaw ko pa lang kita na na wala akong kumpiyansa." After going scoreless against San Mig, Cardona forced himself to score more against Ginebra but his game refused to cooperate. "Pinilit ko kasi kaya nawala ako sa rhythm ko," Cardona said. "Pero nakita niyo naman sa game namin kanina na confident na ako, loose na." The player admitted that his coaches and team management talked to him. It wasn't to scold him or plead him to play better, but to ask what the problem was and how the team could help him be the Mac Cardona of old. Apparently, those talks were all what Cardona needed. Against GlobalPort, Cardona returned to his usual high-scoring form. The defense knew that he'd be driving left then spinning to his right for a hook shot, but they could not do anything to stop him. He did everything the vintage Mac Cardona did absent one thing. There was no taunting in this game. "Pass muna ako diyan," Cardona said while letting out a short laugh. "Pag na lang tuluy-tuloy na maganda na yung laro ko baka puwede na ulit." There are only a handful of players in the PBA who just can't play second fiddle. Mark Caguioa, James Yap, and Gary David are on that list. Cardona used to be there. He knows that he can still play on that level but he also realizes that it might not be what his team needs to win. But like any good soldier, if you call his name and give him his gear, you can be assured that Mac Cardona will be ready to play and take on an entire battalion if need be. In fact, the Bolts will need more from him in their next games, as they face a challenging gauntlet. Up next for the Bolts are Petron, Ginebra, San Mig, and Rain or Shine. Cardona knows that the challenge is daunting but he thrives in moments like these. "Excited talaga ako pag kalaban namin yung San Miguel teams kasi maraming manonood," Cardona said. "Di ba mas maraming fans ng kalaban pag ganun?" I asked. His answer, like his game tonight, was classic Mac Cardona. "E di i-boo nila ako." - AMD, GMA News