Buoyant Barangay Ginebra aims to pull away in Game 5
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel coach Tim Cone is upbeat yet jittery as they face San Miguel Beer in Game 5 of the best-of-seven finals of Season 43 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup at 6:30 p.m. tonight, at the Araneta Coliseum.
The series is now even at 2-2 after the Gin Kings routed the Beermen 130-100 in Game 4 behind Best Import of the Conference Justin Brownlee who finished with 37 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
“I guess the last thing to say is this doesn’t make us very secure for Game 5. Just because you win a game, obviously we don’t know what will happen in Game 5,” Cone said.
Greg Slaughter of Ginebra (20) prepares to drive on Christian Standhardinger of San Miguel Beer (34) in Game 4 of the best-of-seven finals of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Friday at the Araneta Coliseum. PBA MEDIA BUREAU PHOTO
The two-time Grand Slam coach of Ginebra is anticipating a massive retaliation from the Beermen
“But you’d think you won big now you feel good of going into Game 5. All it does is just scare me even more because we have seen their fight coming out of the last time we did this so we will see. As what I’ve said, I don’t know what will happen in Game 5.”
But the 7-footer Greg Slaughter, who had 19 points last game, is feeling good entering Game 5.
“I hope we get it (Game 5 win). We see it as Game 1 in the best-of-three and we have to come out really hard. If we can win it by blowout again we’ll take it but we are not counting on that,” said Slaughter, quickly adding that situation is unpredictable.
“It is just kind of a bipolar series, blowout after blowout, but you know I’m pretty sure that close games down to wire will be coming soon.”
Meanwhile, Coach Leo Austria of defending champion San Miguel Beer pointed out that the reason for their recent loss is lack of will not lack of energy.
“I don’t believe that we don’t have the energy. [But] it’s the will of anybody. It’s just mind over matter,” he said. “What is lacking on us is the effort. The meaning of effort is to outwork your opponent and last game the effort was on the other side. It’s so hard to beat them if you have a bad start. I hope my players will realize the importance of what are at stake in the last three games so we have to work hard.”
June Mar Fajardo, fresh from bagging his seventh Best Player of the Conference award, vowed to bounce back.
“We need to regroup and bounce back. It’s going to be tough since this is just now a best-of-three series. We need that win in Game 5 and we have to work for it. It’s a lesson learned also,” said Fajardo, who in the last game reached the 5,000 points mark and his 287th career PBA game after finishing with 15 points.
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