GINEBRA and its throng of die-hard fans’ title dream in the import-spiced meet is very much alive.
It will just be a lot tougher—and the Kings’ biggest match so far in the season—against the TNT Tropang Giga.
“It’s never just another game. Game 7s are never just another game,” Ginebra coach Tim Cone said after his wards dropped an 83-87 loss to the Tropang Giga in Game 6 of their best-of-7 finals clash in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup last Wednesday night. “It’s tough to prepare for, especially if you’re coming off a loss.
“I think it’s harder going into Game 7 when you’re coming off a loss,” he added.
The winner-take-all tiff is set tonight at 7:30 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with TNT aching to do an encore to its title triumph in the season-opening Governors’ Cup and move within a conference diadem of a historic and maiden grand slam.
The Kings are eyeing payback after falling to the same Tropang Giga squad late last year.
They had a chance in the sixth game but Cone’s troops failed to get the job done in the fourth quarter.
Star import Justin Brownlee suited up for the third straight game in the series nursing a dislocated right thumb and paced Ginebra with 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocks while former MVP Scottie Thompson chimed in 12 markers, six boards, and four dimes.
RJ Abarrientos, Japeth Aguilar, and Stephen Holt also contributed 12, 11, and 11 points, respectively, for the Kings.
“They (Tropang Giga) just played better than we did and we made more mistakes than they did,” Cone said.
“We can complain and be angry about it all we want but we have no time. We have to figure out what we’re going to do for Game 7.”
With only a day separating their numbing setback and the deciding clash, Cone has a big challenge for his team.
“We have a lot of things to get right in 24 hours,” he said. “So, we’ll be ready to play, that’s going to be our challenge.”
