JUST how do you beat a seemingly unbeatable foe?
The Barangay Ginebra Kings did a good job dealing with this riddle for a good part of the game Wednesday only to fumble crucial plays down the stretch for a heartbreaker.
Coach Tim Cone and his troops try once more Friday to handle the hulking giant in San Miguel Beer, looking to equalize in Game 2 of their PBA Commissioner’s Cup best-of-five semifinal confrontation set at 4 p.m. at the MOA Arena in Pasay City.
“We are going to try to find a way to beat this good team, tough team. They have a lot of different kinds of weapons,” said Cone, likening the current SMB team to the SMB “Death Squad” in the recent years.
“They got their own version of the ‘Death Five’ except that (Bennie) Boatwright is playing Arwind Santos. It’s like Arwind and June Mar (Fajardo) together and the Death Five except Boatwright is five inches taller, 30 pounds heavier, and shoots his ball as well as Arwind did. Just makes our job even harder,” Cone pointed out.
The other lethal weapons include CJ Perez who led the SMB scoring parade in the series kickoff with 26 points on top of five rebounds and three assists as the Beermen fended off the Gin Kings, 92-90.
The defensive load for the Kings became a bit lighter with Terrence Romeo sitting out the game due to a sprained ankle.
“Terrence didn’t play. I assume he might come back on Friday. But he might be the next guy to step up. Or Marcio (Lassiter). Or Chris (Ross). Or (Don) Trollano. They have a lot of weapons. That’s kinda like the choices you make. Focus on June Mar and Boatwright, and someone else is going to beat you,” said Cone.
Even then, the Kings were able to put up a fight, even getting a chance at forcing overtime or at a game-winner only to throw away their last possession.
“We tried to stay with them. We stayed with them but they made the plays down the stretch and we didn’t make the plays down the stretch. Basically, that was the game. We are going to look at the video and see what needs to be adjusted,” Cone said.
It’s a battle with neither team leading by more than 10 points. In the fourth, the biggest separation was six.
It was the Gin Kings who enjoyed the luxury of that six-point margin but went down beaten down the stretch.
“I give all the credit to the players. When we needed a big stop, I think they stopped them twice. When we had a chance to win, the players delivered,” said San Miguel coach Jorge Gallent. (SB)
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