BEFORE TNT coach Jojo Lastimosa entertains thoughts of facing his former mentor, Ginebra tactician Tim Cone, in what could be a blockbuster clash in the Big Dance, he knows his charges should first get the job done against an equally determined Meralco foe.
“I’ve been in a situation where I played, I’ve been in a situation where I was an assistant coach, and the closeout game is always hard,” Lastimosa said after the Tropang Giga ripped the Bolts 99-80 in Game 3 two days ago that gave them a 2-1 series lead. “We always talk about that. For some reason, there’s just a different feel when you’re trying to close out a game because we know that the other team is also desperate. At the same time, you don’t want to force the issue. You want to close out the game,” he added.
TNT tries to finish off Meralco today in Game 4 of their best-of-5 semis showdown in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The match is set at 5:45 p.m., with the Tropang Giga aching to wrap up the race-to-3 series and forge a best-of-7 finals duel with the defending champions Kings.
Bloodied but unbowed, the Bolts are bidding to send their Last 4 tussle into a fifth game.
The deciding Game 5, if necessary, will be on Sunday, April 2, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Lastimosa spent his best years with Cone at the defunct Alaska franchise where they won nine titles– including a rare grand slam in 1996.
“Jojo’s my team captain for years and my assistant coach for years and I would be happy to go up against him and it’s gonna be difficult because he knows me like the back of his hands,” Cone said.
“Either one is gonna be…we don’t have any control of that so we don’t have to worry about that. We just take who’s coming and will try the best we can to attack once we figure out who’s gonna be there.”
Ginebra nipped San Miguel Beer 87-85 in Game 3 of their own semis battle last Wednesday that completed a stunning sweep and powered the Kings to the finals for the third straight time and fifth in the last six editions of the season-ending tourney.
Game 1 of the finals is set on Easter Sunday, April 9, after the PBA takes a break in observance of the Holy Week.
Lastimosa is not one to count out Meralco.
“It’s going to be a dogfight. It’s going to be a battle and whoever comes out, the team that wins the game, they’re going to be bloody,” Lastimosa said. “So, it’s going to be a hard game in Game 4.”
TNT will pin its hopes on import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Mikey Williams, Roger Pogoy, Jayson Castro, Calvin Oftana, and Justin Chua.
Bolts strategist Norman Black is adamant his wards could not afford another lethargic start like they did in the third game.
