Manila Clasico semis now a best-of-three
THE “Manila Clasico” edition of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals has been reset as a best-of-three affair after the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings leveled the series at two games apiece with a victory over rivals Star Hotshots in Game Four last Wednesday. And now both teams are looking to break the tie in their favor.
Set to reengage anew for Game Five today at the Mall of Asia Arena at 7 p. m., the Kings and Hotshots try to advance their respective causes which have taken differing directions of late.
For Barangay Ginebra it is about continuing its roll following back-to-back wins after opening the series 0-2 while for Star it is to wiggle out of its skid and seize the momentum anew.
In their series-levelling Game Four win, 93-86, the Kings had their offense going for them at the most opportune of time while complementing it with steady defense.
The Star tried to snatch the win several times over the course of the contest but Barangay Ginebra had an answer each and every time.
Jervy Cruz led a very balanced Barangay Ginebra attack with 21 points on top of six rebounds and three assists.
Japeth Aguilar had a doubledouble of 18 points and 10 rebounds while Chris Ellis, Sol Mercado, Kevin Ferrer and LA Tenorio scored eight points or better.
While not downplaying their Game Four win, Kings coach Tim Cone is taking it on an even keel.
“We just tied the series and made it a best-of-three,” the winningest Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) coach in history said in the postgame press conference.
He, however, paid tribute to how his players played with a sense urgency and hack out the all-important win.
“The guys showed great resolve again. It was a great defensive battle and I don’t how we won but we did. A lot of players stepped up today besides our top guys like Jervy, Kevin and Chris and credit to them,” Mr. Cone said.
GET BACK ON TRACK
Had the momentum they built early in the series cast aside, the Hotshots, meanwhile, remain upbeat of their prospects of advancing to the championship although admit that they have to work doubly hard, more so now that the Kings have caught up with them.
One of the things they underscored that they need to address is to get their offense back on track. While defensively they are still delivering, their offensive attack on the other hand has sputtered of late.
Most notable of the struggling Hotshots is star guard Paul Lee, who has failed to crack the double-digit mark in scoring in their last two games after averaging 17.5 points in the first two matches of the series.
Saving grace though for Star is the play of veteran big men Marc Pingris and Rafi Reavis who have been consistently delivering on both ends of the court.
In their Game Four loss, Mr. Pingris finished with nine points and 13 rebounds while Mr. Reavis had 13 markers and 11 boards. —