Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

Basketball

Tim Cone explains why Game Fours are harder than Fives


SMART CLARK GIGA CITY — Close-out games are always the hardest. 

Head coach Tim Cone made the observation in reference to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s chance to finish off Meralco in Game Four of their best-of-five semifinal series and head to the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

“The hardest game to win in a series is the closeout game.

“I find oftentimes Game Fours are harder to win than Game Fives in a five-game series,” the league’s most accomplished mentor said.

The Gin Kings have moved one win away from returning to the all-Filipino finals for the first time in three years following their Game Three victory, Sunday night. And momentum is surely on their side heading into Wednesday.

Still, Cone remains wary of the Bolts’ retaliation.

“It’s gonna be really hard to close them out. They’ve got a great coach over there who’s also been to this kind of wars and been to this situation. And he’s got a young hungry core that’s listening to him and playing for him,” he said.

It showed in Game Three. The Bolts came back from as much as 25 points down and came within just six in the dying seconds. Time was not on their side, though, and the Barangay bagged the 91-84 win.

Besides the anticipated fightback from a desperate Meralco crew, Cone and his coaches also do not want their players to fall into the dangerous pit of complacency.

“It’s parang… For us, we have a cushion — may kusyon, you know — and we can… Parang, we can be a little bit kampante. And that’s what we have to fight as coaches: to make sure that our guys don’t fall into that trap,” he said.

“But it’s human nature. Trap. And it’s very, very difficult not to fall into it. That’s why closeout games are always so hard. The other group is always so desperate and it’s hard to meet their intensity.”

#ReadMore  Justin Brownlee expects big things from good friend Ray Parks
Written By

Oftentimes on the sidelines. Forever a student of the game. Morayta-bred.


You May Also Like

Basketball

Apparently, the past week wasn’t enough for Troy Rosario to heal. The veteran bruiser turned in subpar numbers in Ginebra’s loss to TNT in...

Basketball

It may no longer be just about making the necessary adjustments for head coach Tim Cone and the rest of Barangay Ginebra after losing...

Basketball

TNT leaned on its hot shooting from beyond the arc early to beat Barangay Ginebra, 95-89, and gain the head start in the PBA...

Basketball

To say that their careers are forever intertwined may sound cliche, but that’s basically been the reality Tim Cone and Chot Reyes live in....

Basketball

Stephen Holt may find himself guarding another Best Player of the Conference candidate when the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup Finals gets rolling. Last...

Basketball

Jamie Malonzo is itching to play in the PBA Finals again after sitting helplessly on the sidelines during Barangay Ginebra’s previous trip to the...

Basketball

Justin Brownlee is hoping to flip the script this time as Ginebra and TNT author another chapter to their rivalry in the PBA Season...

Basketball

Troy Rosario feels excited to go up against the team he started out with as Ginebra and TNT will duke it out in the...

Advertisement