Ginebra coach Tim Cone did not hesitate to give credit where it is due, even after his squad failed to advance to the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup Finals.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone was not exactly in the mood to speak to reporters as his charges surrendered to San Miguel, 93-100, in Game 7 of the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals Wednesday night, July 9.
But the winningest coach in the league still made it a point to accommodate a few questions after the match at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
“I don’t really have many thoughts at this point,” Cone said, visibly disappointed after the Gin Kings fell short of advancing to the Finals after making that far in the previous conferences this season.
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Cone went on to rue some of his team's mishaps late in the game, which saw the Beermen rely on veterans Chris Ross and June Mar Fajardo to get the job done.
San Miguel employed zone in the fourth period, and things just went downhill from there for the Gin Kings.
“We played a terrible fourth quarter. We played terribly down the stretch,” said Cone, whose team blew a 73-62 lead in the dying seconds of the third period.
“They jumped into a zone; we didn’t handle it well. We really lost the game at the end of the third, I thought when we didn’t keep momentum, we gave them back momentum. Turned the ball over a couple of times.”
Ross fired 10 points in the fourth quarter, seven of which in the final four minutes to help the Beermen complete their turnaround from a 62-73 deficit. It was his turn to showcase his veteran prowess after LA Tenorio did it for the Gin Kings in Game 6.
Ross finished with a second-best 19 points he topped with three rebounds, seven assists and four steals. He ably backed Fajardo, who churned out a double-double of 21 points and 19 rebounds.
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With that, Cone tipped his hat to his counterpart, Leo Austria, and the Beermen as they set a date with Grand-Slam seeking TNT in the Finals.
“You've got to give credit to coach Leo, he went to his veterans, he went to Chris Ross. June Mar played 42 minutes on one leg. Sometimes, you just have to tip your cap,” Cone said.
“They came out and played. We had a chance to put the game away early. In the third quarter, we could have stretched the lead, but we let down. I felt terrible, but that's the way it goes.”