Ginebra would have loved to win, but it just wasn’t meant to be.
Head coach Tim Cone lamented as much after the Kings’ attempt at a rare PBA Governors’ Cup three-peat was foiled by long-time rivals TNT. Nevertheless, he felt proud of how the entire conference turned out for the ball club.
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“We would have loved to win this one, and we would have loved to win the three-peat. But it wasn’t meant to be,” said the owner of 25 league titles shortly after their 97-93 Game 6 loss on Friday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
It was actually Ginebra’s first Finals loss with Justin Brownlee after winning its first six. Cone could only lament the ‘bad luck’ that struck the team late in the series, which ultimately led to the bitter end of their reign.
The Barangay lost the three-time Best Import in the second half of Game 5 last Wednesday due to food poisoning. That left him below maximum health for Game 6, although he still managed to score 29 points and grab 12 rebounds.
And it didn’t help that Mikey Williams caused even more problems for them in what turned out to be the clincher. Williams erupted for 38 points, including the booming triple that gave the Tropa the lead for good, 95-93.
Cone didn’t take anything away from their foes, though.
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“We had chances; we had some bad luck. You know, Justin’s food poisoning, and then, wow, that shot of Mikey Williams off the backboard was a backbreaker. But they played really well, they played well all the way through,” he said.
“They’ve certainly deserved it more than we did.”
As tough as it was to lose, the 65-year-old bench tactician chose to focus on why he and the rest of Ginebra are looking forward to the next PBA season, which commences in October.
“We still have a lot of growth on this team. Jamie and Miah are still growing, and Christian had a great conference. Justin was Justin, and Scottie was Scottie. We’re really pleased with this team and looking forward to the next one,” said Cone.
“It’s not gonna be for a while until October, but we’re gonna try to keep the team as intact as possible. The core, I think, Jamie is the only one with an expiring contract, so hopefully, we can keep the core intact and keep moving forward.”
And it’s still a conference to remember, Cone said.
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“What can I say? It’s a great conference,” he said.
“The journey was arduous. Of course, we’re going to remember it for many reasons, most especially because of LA and the courage that LA showed throughout this whole thing — coming to games and being around,” he added.
“It was really inspiring to watch. He’s such an inspiring person.”
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The 2023 PBA Governors Cup Finals is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
