FOR a Meralco team that has fallen three times in the Big Dance to defending champion Ginebra, having a 2-1 lead is certainly not a reason to celebrate.
The Bolts, however, intend to push the Kings on the brink when they clash anew tonight in Game 4 of their best-of-seven finals duel for the PBA Governors Cup title at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The crucial match is set at 6 p.m. after the league fetes the Best Import and Best Player of the Conference in short rites at 5:55.
The specter of leading 2-1 in the finals but ending up as bridesmaids is not lost on Meralco coach Norman Black.
The Bolts zoomed to a similar start the first time the combatants battled in the finals of the season-ending tourney in 2016 but eventually fell 4-2.
“I think that was six years ago. We just want to live in the present which is we are up 2-1 and we have a couple of days to get our legs fresh and so do they,” Black said. “In this business you can’t live in the past but on what’s going on right now.”
Meralco import Tony Bishop said their defense anchored on aggressiveness and matching Ginebra’s physicality should prove one of the keys anew.
“We showed our aggressiveness and our physicality in the second half, and we were able to get a win,” Bishop said. “That’s my mindset the whole series, just stay aggressive.”
Aside from Bishop, the Bolts will pin their hopes on Chris Newsome, Allein Maliksi, Cliff Hodge, Raymond Almazan, Chris Banchero, and Aaron Black.
Kings tactician Tim Cone admitted his charges wilted in the stretches that mattered in Game 3.
“We panicked down the stretch and obviously we didn’t hit our shots. We were going for hero ball shots and not trying to get good shots,” Cone said. “We got a little bit selfish. We weren’t moving the ball and I think most of all, we got tired legs.”
Cone is hoping the two-day respite would boost his team.
“We were tired in terms of the mental part of the game. We took a lot to take Game 2, we just didn’t have enough to go down the stretch in Game 3, and I worry about that going into the game,” he said. “We got a couple of days. We’ll see how it works.”
Reinforcement Justin Brownlee and Scottie Thompson, expected to bag the Best Import and Best Player of the Conference plums, will carry the fight for Ginebra along with LA Tenorio, Christian Standhardinger, Nards Pinto, and Jeff Chan.
Japeth Aguilar is also likely set to suit up after sitting out the first three games due to a calf injury.
