MANILA, Philippines — Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone is glad to see Season 47 Most Valuable Player Scottie Thompson slowly get his old, deadly back midway in the PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup elimination round. The do-it-all Ginebra superstar churned out his best game so far this conference after tallying triple-double of 21 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in leading the Gin Kings to a vengeful 112-98 triumph over the Blackwater Bossing on Tuesday night. But with all honesty, Cone noted that the former Perpetual Help U star is somewhere between "80-to-90 percent healthy at this point." "I thinks Scottie's in my opinion, he's playing about 80-90 percent right now. He's not fully 100 percent. We have to be careful with him in practice," Cone said after the game as the Gin Kings improved to 4-2 overall with their third straight victory. The American mentor said they are simply trying to strike a balance of letting Thompson play without necessarily letting his back act up again. "We have to make sure we don't wear him out and let his back flare up again," he said. "We kind of handle him with kid glove, if you call 39 minutes kid glove. We're trying our best but he's just too important on what we do and how we do it." For Thompson, he's just grateful to get the needed help from not just the coaching staff, but his teammates, team therapists and even ball boy in ensuring he gets back to actual healthy playing condition. "Slowly getting back, that's all I wanted this conference, to really be healthy," said Thompson, the seven-time PBA champion. "As for my performance, I know that will come, but the key for now is for me to be healthy this whole conference." Ginebra will have a day to prepare before plunging back to action and face first round tormentor Rain or Shine in a crucial clash between the top two teams in Group B on Friday. Read The Rest at :