MANILA, Philippines – The reigning champions are up 2 to 0 in the semifinal series between the Kings and the San Miguel Beermen, and there is no stopping him any time soon as he doubles down on the driver’s seat with yet another streak of incredible performances.
With averages of 32.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists to lead the Kings to just one victory away from a back-to-back trip to the finals after winning the Commissioner’s Cup, the 6-foot-9 slotman showed to be an unstoppable force to deal with in the two straight victories by the Kings.
Standhardinger earned the unanimous selection as the Cignal Play-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the span of March 22 to 26 by amassing his points behind a productive shooting accuracy of 65 percent.
His colleague Scottie Thompson, Aaron Black of Meralco, and Roger Pogoy of TNT were also given consideration for the weekly award by the group of print and online media outlets that routinely cover the PBA beat.
Ginebra won the opening game, 121 to 112, thanks to the Filipino-German star, who won the BPC in the 2019 Govs’ Cup. He had 33 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and a steal.
In Game 2, the Kings dominated once more, winning 121 to 103, as Standhardinger continued the charge with 32 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
The four-time champion and MVP of the previous conference finals achieved all of this while putting in more than 40 minutes each game of heavy lifting for a Ginebra team that is operating without key players Japeth Aguilar and LA Tenorio.
But Standhardinger isn’t taking the credit; instead, he praises the Kings’ fine-tuned synergy as the secret to how it further liberated his game and strengthened their title defense bid.
The 2017 top selection stated, “I mean, it’s just about playing (well) with my guys. I’ve been
Building on your relationships with your colleagues is the only drive, according to the man who has run an amazing campaign thus far.
At the Smart Araneta Coliseum this Wednesday, Standhardinger and the Kings go all-out against the Beermen.
