Ross thrilled to take on 'fellow defensive guards' Barroca, Jalalon

MANILA, Philippines — San Miguel’s Chris Ross couldn’t help but feel excited for Friday’s PBA Philippine Cup finals.

The two-time PBA Defensive Player of the Year was all smiles when he was asked about going against Magnolia guards Mark Barroca and Jio Jalalon during the pre-finals presser in Eastwood, Quezon City on Wednesday.

“I love those two guys,” the Filipino-American cager said. “I love watching them play. I love competing against them. They're really defensive guys just like myself so it's really a pleasure to go up against those guys.”

If it’s any indication of Jalalon and Barroca’s defensive prowess, the latest PBA tally of steals put the Hotshots pair in the league’s top performers. The former is ranked seventh (1.67 per game), while the veteran rounds out the best 10 (1.61). Ross currently sits at third with 1.82 a night.

“Every time I go out against those guys, it's not always easy. So, I know it's not gonna be easy. Those guys, and then you have (Justin) Melton in there, you have Rome (dela Rosa) — they come out in different ways,” the San Miguel guard said.

But Ross doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. After all, he is nursing a hurt thigh, which he described as “pretty banged up.” His injury has hindered him from logging the usual long minutes the Beermen’ core players usually register (35 minutes and up). In the series-clincher against Ginebra, he only saw 17 minutes of action.

“I’m getting closer to a hundred percent,” he revealed to the press. “I went to practice (Wednesday), and I felt pretty good. So we'll see. I'm going to get treatment … For Friday, I should be ready. But I know at some point in the series, I'll be a hundred percent.”

“I’m slowly getting there, but my recovery is going maybe ahead of schedule. That's good news for me that my body's healing,” he added.

In the same breath, the two-time Finals MVP said there’s a lot of work to do — even after the myriad of accolades he and his team have compiled over time.

“Winning a championship is never easy. We have a really tough opponent,” he said of Magnolia. “They're in the Finals for a reason, and they're playing really good basketball. But we're really playing for something.”

“We're trying to be in the conversation of one of the best PBA teams ever.  Of course, we wanna win championships. But we wanna be remembered and known, 20, 30, 40 years from now,” he closed with a smile.

Game One of the best-of-seven Philippine Cup Finals begins at 7:00 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.