Ginebra had one less problem following Nick Rakocevic’s ejection during Game One of its PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series versus Magnolia, but head coach Tim Cone never really looked at it in that manner.
Though his Kings came out on top, the league’s winningest mentor said that battling teams forced to play all-Filipino will always be a challenge.
“Historically, it’s always been tough to beat a team without an import,” he said shortly after the gritty 87-83 victory at the Philsports Arena in Pasig, Wednesday night. “Import leaves the game, either goes one way.
“Either that team gets frustrated over what happened and kind of lets down, or they lift up. And a good team like Magnolia, a well-coached team like Magnolia, they’re going to lift up the game. All locals lifted up,” he added.
Speaking from experience, Cone didn’t look any further than their encounter with TNT last November 20. There, their foes didn’t have Cam Oliver.
An injury kept the former NBA cager from playing, but the Tropang Giga still gave Ginebra the fits. They even tied the game up at 81 approaching the final two minutes after being down by 17 – that, after losing Jayson Castro as well.
Still, the Barangay won, 89-85, to secure a quarterfinal spot while dealing their rivals one of the losses that eventually booted the team out of contention.
“We played Talk N Text without an import early in the conference, and barely escaped with a win,” recalled the four-time Coach of the Year.
“It can actually become more difficult, hard to believe, but it does.”
Like the Tropa, the Hotshots made life difficult for the Kings despite losing their import with 6:31 left in the third quarter after being slapped with an F1 for tripping Christian Standhardinger based on replays.
Rakocevic had already incurred a technical foul for second motion during the second period, leading to his premature exit from the match. The Serbian import left with just 10 points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes.
Then again, his teammates tried to hold the fort in his absence. Ginebra already built a seven-point lead approaching the last five minutes but Jackson Corpuz and Paul Lee chopped the gap to just a point, 84-85, with 2:39 to go.
“They kind of have a natural letdown. I can see it, especially the first three or four minutes after he left the game,” said Cone as he saw his side trail by a field goal, 64-62, with three minutes left in the third canto.
“I felt our intensity level went down, both on offense and defense, and again, that’s a natural thing. You don’t want to do that, but it’s just natural, it happens.”
But the crowd darlings found ways, with Jamie Malonzo dishing the key assist to Christian Standhardinger to widen the gap to three before coming up big on defense by preventing Lee from having a good look.
Cone is glad about the grit he saw but at the same time cautious for Game Two on Friday as he anticipates Rakocevic to play ‘extra, extra motivated.’
“He’ll learn. He’s really a great player. He’s really a smart player and he’ll figure it out,” offered the league’s only 24-time champion coach. “He’s going to come out, I think, extra, extra motivated here in this Game Two.
“And that’s something we’re going to have to understand and try to meet that challenge. Because he’s going to be really motivated for the next game,” he furthered. “He’s tough because you can’t scheme him.
“You can’t stop what he does because it’s not about scoring, it’s not about hitting three-point shots or driving to the basket. It’s all about just hustle plays – getting to the boards, running the floor, getting tips here and there.”
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