Ginebra finds itself in a do-or-die situation against San Miguel in Game 6 of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinals set Friday, Jan. 16.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone is not exactly in a bad mood in the aftermath of his squad's 115-109 loss to San Miguel in Game 5 of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinals Wednesday, Jan. 15.
After all, the Gin Kings showed tremendous fight just when the Beermen thought they had the game in the bag after leading by 17 points in the fourth period.
“We were looking for a miracle there in the end and didn't get one. But I've got to appreciate the guys for their fight, the way they fought back in the game,” Cone said after the match at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
[RELATED STORY: June Mar Fajardo slowly regains might as San Miguel moves a win away from PBA Finals]
Down 107-90 in the 6:27 mark, Ginebra refused to fold, unleashing a 19-4 tear capped by an RJ Abarrientos stepback trey to close in, 109-111, with 13.4 ticks left to play.
But the Beermen hung tough, with June Mar Fajardo and Marcio Lassiter bringing the team home with two free throws each to move a win away from the Finals.
Ginebra, meanwhile, was pushed to the brink with its 2-3 series deficit.
“We made crucial turnovers throughout the game when we could have made runs,” said Cone.
“It just wasn't our night. We were fumbling the ball. The ball wasn't going in for us. But our guys continued to fight and battle and just came up short.”
[RELATED STORY: SMB star Fajardo goes for kill vs Ginebra in Game 6: 'Mahirap 'pag umabot ng Game 7']
But all these are in the past now, and the Gin Kings can no longer change it.
Instead, they can make adjustments moving forward in hopes of flipping the script against the defending champion.
“But now, we're basically in the same situation we were last conference, except it's flipped. We were up 3-2 [then], now, they're up 3-2. They were able to beat us two in a row, so we'll see if we can flip the script and beat them two in a row,” said Cone.
“But we can't get to Game 7 or winner-take-all unless we take care of Game 6. So that's where our focus is going to be, Game 6.”
Match is on Friday, Jan. 16, in the same Cubao venue.
Tipoff is at 5:15 p.m.
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.