Justin Brownlee. PBA . IMAGES
After a 103-80 win that gave his Barangay Ginebra team a 2-1 lead over Magnolia in the decisive series in the Philippine Basketball Association’s five-man semi-final, Tim Cone knew exactly what he was. he wants to avoid.
“Obviously we don’t want to be in Game 5,” he told reporters after the showdown at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City last Sunday. “There’s so much that could happen in Game 5, so we’ll go out and see what we can do in Game 4.”
It’s the coach’s shorthand for “we’ll try to wrap things up in Game 4.”
With a very athletic team and a bench so deep, it would be easy for the casual observer to think that the loved ones of the crowd already had a spot in the final.
But Cone was no ordinary observer. And he doesn’t mindlessly mumble when he talks about “too many things that can happen.”
“Look what happened to Paul Lee [in Game 3]” he say.
Lee, who won Game 2 for the Hotshots after turning a wrong pass into a game-winning shot, barely played Sunday’s game because he felt ill.
“I am dealing with both a headache and a fever. I tried to feel things earlier, but I just felt dizzy. I felt like I was going to fall to the floor,” veteran Magnolia told reporters on his way out of the venue.
Lee’s absence certainly hurt Magnolia. Besides removing what could have been around 20 points from the club’s offense, the Hotshots also struggled to perform without their dynamic defender who often acted as the centerpiece. team’s attack point.
Faint display
“So many [Sunday’s result depended] about Paul,” Cone said. I think [his absence] took the wind out of their sails. It’s hard to adjust in the game when you lose your star player.”
That prompted Jio Jalalon, usually the Hotshots’ third choice when fouled, to pick up the scoring batons. But with Nick Rakocevic’s lackluster performance with 10 points and 12 rebounds, no next man could save the Hotshots.
The cracks in the flow of Magnolia – as expected – were exploited by the Gin Kings. Justin Brownlee has 38 points while LA Tenorio adds 20 points as he continues to chase another personal milestone.
“Obviously we want to go out and put all our eggs in one basket and move on after Game 4,” he continued. [But] it will be difficult. We won the first game. They won second. We won third place. What usually happens in a quarter?
“It’s something that we want to try to overcome,” Cone added of the first of two attempts by Ginebra to wrap up the series on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. request
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