Justin Brownlee (with ball) had one of his worst final performances for Ginebra. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ .
As much as it was a relief to finally get a win in the PBA Governors’ Cup final, Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone doesn’t see it as a meaningful result.
At least not yet.
Article continues after this ad
“This game won’t mean much if we don’t get this on Sunday,” Cone said as the Gin Kings look to balance their championship clash with the TNT Tropang Giga when Game 4 begins at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Ginebra avoided a dreaded 0-3 hole two nights earlier and turned the tables on TNT by taking on their own defensive position, resulting in an 85-73 victory. And because of the way the series was played, the team that forces the other to throw more checkers may have the best chance of winning.
And perhaps also the team that shows the proverbial willpower better.
Article continues after this ad
“Obviously we have to expend a lot of energy to win (Game 3), and we have to find a way to expend more energy for Sunday’s game because it’s a real strain on the players,” Cone said.
Grind seems to be the right fit for both teams, with Ginebra looking for more moves like putting rarely-used veteran LA Tenorio in the starting lineup and making Maverick Ahanmisi an efficient player off the bench, and having Joe Devance, Japeth Aguilar provides quality minutes in place of a tired player.
Another thing will be to once again force TNT to make more missed shots by forcing the Tropang Giga to make contested tries.
TNT made just 32 percent of its shots, missed 21 of 29 three-pointers and held Best Import leader Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to 8 of 26 from the field en route to finishing with 22 points.
“Game 3 was tough, but we expect Game 4 to be even tougher,” said Tropang Giga’s RR Pogoy, who will also play a key role in helping his team take a commanding 3-1 lead.
“Incredible defense”
Despite the defeat, the Tropang Giga showed their resilience and did not let the Kings get away in the final seven minutes as Ginebra played with absolute control. And that could be a good sign for coach Chot Reyes.
The Tropang Giga forced the Kings into 19 turnovers in Game 3, more than the 11 Ginebra had committed in each of the previous two games.
“TNT played incredible defense and we have to match them or be better,” Brownlee said. “I think it will stay that way from now on.”
Meanwhile, the league will name the conference’s best player and best import winners before Game 4 begins at 7:30 p.m
The BPC is expected to be decided by either the raw stats of San Miguel Beer star June Mar Fajardo or the impact Aguilar had on the Kings’ run to the finals due to the lack of frontcourt players.
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription was successful.
Hollis-Jefferson appears to have the upper hand over Brownlee in the race for top import and, if ultimately named, will become the 11th player to win the award named after the late Bobby Parks multiple times.