SMART CLARK GIGA CITY — Many chapters have been written about the rivalry between Barangay Ginebra and Meralco. And as things stand, another chapter might conclude in the same way as before.
The Gin Kings have beaten the Bolts thrice in the last four PBA Governors’ Cup Finals. And they could end their foes’ run in the 2020 Philippine Cup with a win on Game Four of their semis duel Wednesday.
A victory in the 3:45 p.m clash at the AUF Sports and Cultural Center would not only assert their mastery of the MVP Group-owned franchise; it would also mark their return to the all-Filipino finale after three years.
But much as they want to finish off their foes, head coach Tim Cone insisted that it is easier said than done, since close-out games are the hardest to play.
“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 only 22-time champion coach said.
The Barangay have momentum on their side heading into the match following their wire-to-wire 91-84 victory in Game Three last Sunday. Still, Cone refuses to fall into complacency.
The 62-year-old likened the series to a ping-pong match, and a quick look at the results of the games attests to that. Ginebra won Game One, then Meralco took the next game, and then the former won again in Game Three.
Given this, Cone expects another fightback from Coach Norman Black and Co., who also have their sights set on extending their stay in the bubble by prolonging what has been a historic playoff run for the franchise.
“If you watch most NBA playoffs, you watch our playoffs in the PBA, it’s oftentimes a ping-pong match. That’s the way it is.
“And the reason why is because those two teams earned their way into the playoffs, and those are two of the best teams. It’s not easy just to roll over Meralco. They’re gonna come back,” Cone added.
“They have the most experienced coach in the PBA, who’s not only played as an import, and saw all kinds of defenses, but has coached in it. And he has a young core who’s only getting better and better,” he continued.
Cone himself has been to countless playoff battles over the course of his coaching career, which has spanned for over three decades. He knows the tendencies of players when they have the advantage.
One of those is complacency. And that’s what he hopes to address while they try to prevent the series from going the distance.
“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.”
