Barangay Ginebra San Miguel's Sol Mercado is glad to have finally regained his strength at the right time after spending the early part of the PBA Philippine Cup on the sidelines because of an ankle injury.
Mercado was forced to undergo a lengthy recovery after hurting his ankle in Ginebra's title victory over Meralco in last season's Governors' Cup when he blocked Jared Dillinger's layup attempt late in Game 4 of that title series.
He made his Philippine Cup debut in late-January but it was not until Ginebra's sweep of Rain or Shine in the quarterfinals that the 10-year veteran finally played a vital role for coach Tim Cone.
"It took me a while to get my rhythm and my timing back," Mercado said after scoring 10 points, including a three-point shot that ignited Ginebra's late breakaway for a 99-91 victory Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
"I've never been out that long, I was out for like three months. It took me a while to get my shape and my timing in, but I feel like it's coming back at the right time," he added.
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The 33-year-old scored double figures in both games against the team he played for in his rookie season. He had 13 points, conspiring with Joe Devance in a key 12-0 run in the fourth quarter, as Ginebra prevailed 88-80 in Monday's series opener at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Two nights later, Mercado's three gave Ginebra a 92-86 lead, one of many key shots that allowed the Kings to see off repeated rallies by the Elasto Painters.
Mercado and Ginebra clinched its fifth straight semis appearance, but faces a tough task of beating defending champion San Miguel in a best-of-seven series. (JT)
