ALTHOUGH the Bolts are on the brink of elimination, Meralco coach Luigi Trillo remained defiant yesterday, insisting “it’s not (yet) over” as they face the Ginebra Gin Kings in a do-or-die Game 6 of their PBA Philippine Cup semis battle today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
After taking a 2-1 lead, the Bolts absorbed back-to-back losses and now find themselves on the ropes in their win-or-go-home game against their rivals at 7:30 p.m.
The shoe could easily have been on the other foot had Trillo’s charges not squandered a 15-point lead in the third quarter of Game 5, fading in the stretch due to the hot hands of Ginebra big man Christian Standhardinger, whose clutch mid-range daggers spelled the difference in the payoff period.
“We believe in our guys. We’ll bounce back. We have a day or two to prepare so we’ll be ready for Game 6,” vowed Trillo.
“Clearly, we knew from the start this (series) was not going to be easy. There’s going to be some painful things in the series. This (Game 5) loss was painful but it’s not yet over,” he said.
He added that he and Kiwi coaching consultant Nenad Vucinic we’re not looking beyond tonight’s game and had reviewed the video of Sunday’s setback so that “we can see what we can improve on.”
Definitely, this includes unleashing anew shooting guard Chris Banchero, who shot 13 of his game-high 18 points, four of them triples, in the second quarter as the Bolts seized the initiative, only to be limited to a measly basket in the last 24 minutes of the crucial game.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone is hoping what has become a war of attrition ends tonight.
