GAME FRIDAY
(Mall of Asia Arena)
7:30 p.m. – TNT vs. Ginebra
LOSING two straight in the finals to the same foe should give Ginebra all the motivation to get back at TNT.
With guarded optimism, Kings coach Tim Cone is convinced his charges have what it takes to finally topple the Tropang Giga this time.
“I think we’re coming into this series with a lot more depth than we had in the last time we played them,” Cone said yesterday during the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals launch at the Kamay Kainan restaurant in Quezon City. “I think that’s going to be a big factor for us, just the idea that we have a little bit more depth and length than we had in the last series we played.”
Standouts Jamie Malonzo and Jeremiah Grey were sidelined when Ginebra fell 2-4 to TNT in the season-opening Governors’ Cup finals last November.
The Kings also bolstered their roster with the acquisition of big man Troy Rosario via free agency before the mid-season tourney.
The returning Ginebra aces and Rosario should boost the Kings’ bid along with star import Justin Brownlee, former MVP Scottie Thompson, RJ Abarrientos, Stephen Holt, Maverick Ahanmisi, and Japeth Aguilar, according to Tropang Giga tactician Chot Reyes.
“Troy brings a lot more than just his skills and his talent, and his willingness to do whatever it takes. He’s a great teammate and there’s so many intangibles when you talk about Troy,” Reyes said. “He wasn’t there in our last finals, so that’s going to be a big factor.
“But so is Jamie. Jamie is going to be 100 percent right now and that’s another factor that we have to contend with.”
The opening match of the race-to-4 series is set this Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Adding to TNT’s woes is the season-ending knee injury suffered by leader and veteran playmaker Jayson Castro.
But Reyes is not one to wilt under the circumstances.
With two-time best import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Calvin Oftana, Roger Pogoy, Rey Nambatac, and Kelly Williams, the Tropang Giga remain formidable.
“Really a tall order for us but these are the challenges that make any competition worthwhile, right?” Reyes posed.
“When you’re faced with very tall odds and still you find ways to at least compete and give ourselves a chance and I think that is our mentality going to this series.”
While TNT showed it could hack it even without Castro in the semifinals against Rain or Shine, the Big Dance is a different animal—especially with the Kings determined more than ever to reach the Promised Land anew.
