From Cone’s ‘box-and-one’ defense in Game 2 to Black’s box-and-one offense in Game 3

Credit to Author: Eddie G. Alinea| Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2020 16:16:28 +0000

Was it really back to the drawing board for Barangay Ginebra in Game 3, which was being played Sunday night back at the Araneta Coliseum?

This question cropped up after Ginebra coach Tim Cone and his Gin Kings employed and failed in their “gimmick” defense centered on Meralco import Allen Durham in Game 2 last Friday in Lucena City.

After the Bolts scored a close 104-102 triumph that tied the best-of-five titular series to one win apiece at the full house Quezon Convention Center, Cone was quoted as saying he is abandoning the box-and-one tactic he tested that Friday in Sunday’s Game 3 and onward until who wins the 2019 is decided.

This led Bolts mentor Norman Black to declare it he will be his turn to exploit his counterpart’s test run with his own more brilliant box-and-one offense in Game 3 and “do a better job in it.”

“Tim pulled it out today (Friday),” Black told this writer in a text message right after Game 2. “We want to do a better job of it on Sunday. We did a pretty good job (in foiling the scheme) in the second half and brought back the momentum of the game (to us). We will be more prepared for that game,” Black vowed.

Cone’s gimmick appeared to succeed as it enabled the Kings to come back from as huge as a 19-point deficit to tie the contest at one time in the second half, 70-all.

Until the Bolts’ bench took over, particularly Baser Amer, Nico Salva and Anjo Caram, who combined for 29 points to thwart Ginebra’s attempt to forge a 2-0 lead in the series.

After coming out flat with mere six points in the series’ opener on Tuesday, Amer hit big triples to produce 17 points all evening long.

Cone employed the strategy that called for his four defenders to concentrate in a zone and one player shadowing the Meralco’s scoring threat – Durham.

This left the scoring option around the perimeter but with Chris Newsome and Raymond Almazan hounded by foul trouble in the opening half alone and Baser off to a slow start, the ploy proved effective. Temporarily, at least.

Durham had seven points the rest of the way while the Gin Kings allowed him only a free throw and forced him for two turnovers as the Kings leveled things up, 70-all at one time in the third.

Then Amer, Salva and Caram went to work.

“We had to use a gimmick defense, succeeded (momentarily), but I guess that’s not going to do it the whole series,” Cone admitted during the post-game press conference. “We just get to do better defensively. We’re a very poor defensive team.”

“They went to the box-and-one against Durham and try to shut him down,” Black observed. “They put one guy to just shadow him everywhere he went. It’s a little bit difficult for him. It’s good his teammates stepped up and helped him.”

Early in the opening period, Nard Pinto fired for four uninterrupted three-pointers for 12 of his total production. Salva and Caram followed suit in the third.

“T’was very very close, Black added in his text message to The Manila Times while in transit going back to Manila. “But I’ take the win. Better than going down, 2-0. You never know how the games are going. They are deeper team so they are going to make runs especially if we’re in foul trouble.”

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