SMART CLARK GIGA CITY — Will this chapter bear a new ending?
Head coach Norman Black clearly wants that to happen when Meralco faces a familiar foe in Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup semifinals that starts Wednesday.
Game time is at 6:30 p.m.
The Bolts are once again on a collision course with the Gin Kings — the very same team who beat them thrice in the last four Governors’ Cup Finals, including last season’s edition that only lasted for five games.
This time around, though, the setting is different. There’s no Allen Durham for Meralco, and Ginebra doesn’t have Justin Brownlee either. And Greg Slaughter isn’t around, too, for the Barangay.
Slaughter has been key in those title runs with his intimidating presence inside. Without him, the Bolts are confident to match up with the Gin Kings size-wise, since they have Raymond Almazan to go head-to-head with Japeth Aguilar.
Morale is sky-high for Meralco heading into the best-of-five clash. It beat erstwhile five-time champions San Miguel twice in the quarterfinals for its first Philippine Cup semis in franchise history.
Still, the Bolts understand the many challenges they will face versus Ginebra.
The league’s most popular team has been one of the favorites — not just in the series, but to win it all. And it proved why when it clinched the top seed after garnering an 8-3 record in the eliminations.
The Gin Kings then maximized their win-once incentive in the quarters by beating Rain or Shine in a game. There, Stanley Pringle proved yet again why Coach Tim Cone said that it is such a luxury to have him.
The Fil-Am guard scored back-to-back hits to spark his side’s late-game pull away en route to the 81-73 win. Pringle was Ginebra’s top scorer at the end of the eliminations with 18.7 points a game.
The Barangay have the edge over the Bolts following the 105-91 beating they handed them in the elims last Oct. 18. Still, this will be a different game, with the latter having no shortage of motivation to finally win one over them.
