GINEBRA’s PBA Governors Cup campaign has been marked by almost as many struggles than successes, but coach Tim Cone is unperturbed.
The league’s winningest coach even claimed the Kings’ rough road to the playoffs should prepare them for the bumpier road ahead.
“It’s gonna be tougher because our road is harder. We’re gonna have to beat somebody twice, but it’s not an impossible battle, said Cone. “It’s a tough battle, a hard one, but it’s not an impossible one.”
Cone made his comments after Ginebra finished the eliminations with a crucial 104-93 win over Rain or Shine last Sunday before more than 6,500 fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The victory enabled the Kings to wind up the 11-game eliminations with a 6-5 record and a tie at sixth with Alaska, with both teams just ahead of 5-4 TNT, and NorthPort and Phoenix Super LPG, both at 5-5.
The official seedings in the quarterfinals will be known after the results of the tournament’s two remaining playdates tomorrow and on Friday, but Cone knows his team will be saddled with a twice-to-win handicap against a top four team.
It doesn’t matter for Cone.
“We don’t know who we’re gonna play, obviously. We just have to put blinders on, not worry about the name on the (other team’s) jersey. Just know there’s a team out there and we’ve got to go out and beat them,” he said. “No matter who it is, we have to go out and beat them, win a couple of games.”
Stanley Pringle is out and it is still unclear who among Ginebra’s other injured players, a list that includes Jared Dillinger, Joe Devance, Mark Caguioa and Aljon Mariano, would be able to come back in time for the playoffs.
But that, too, fails to faze Cone. “This team is capable. We have the talent,” he said.
“Still we have plenty of talent left to do what we need to do in the playoffs. So we really have no excuse,” added Cone. “We need to go out and perform come playoff time.”
The way the Kings performed against Rain or Shine, which put up a whale of a fight despite being already out of the playoffs race, obviously pleased and added to Cone’s optimism.
The trio of Justin Brownlee, Jeff Chan and Scottie Thompson starred in a telling 15-0 run that razed an 83-89 deficit and put Ginebra firmly in control 98-89 with 2:33 left and well on its way to a bounce-back win from a 103-115 loss to NLEX last Friday.
“This was the first time we’re able to grind out a win the whole conference, relying more on our defense than our offense,” noted Cone. “I’m real proud of my guys for grinding it out.
This is the way you gotta play going to the playoffs and this is what we’re preparing for, try to get to the playoffs and make some noise.”
