Kings: A case of rising up when the going got tough
When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
That is how Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings coach Tim Cone described the kind of campaign they had in the justconcluded Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup that culminated in them winning the title over erstwhile defending champion San Miguel Beermen in six games, 4-2.
Describing the journey they had in the midseason PBA tournament as filled with “who would have thought moments,” the PBA’s winningest coach was left amazed with how his wards handled themselves amid the adversities and challenges throughout the conference.
“There were so many ‘who would have thought moments’ in this conference. We were 1-5 to start the conference. Who would have thought we would make the playoffs. Then we got matched up with San Miguel in the finals. Who would have thought we would win this series. Who would have thought we would win it in six games. So I’m just amazed at the resilience of our players, the fight they showed,” a proud Cone shared to sports media following their title-clinching 93-77 victory in Game Six of their best-of-seven finals series on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Mr. Cone, now holder of a record 21 PBA titles in an illustrious coaching career, went on to highlight that his players simply just did not give up on their quest in the finals, manifesting it in so many ways.
“LA [Tenorio] and his feistiness. Scottie [Thompson] and his just incredible energy, he just does not have a downtime. Justin [Brownlee] and Joe [Devance] battling through his knee injury. We were not even sure if he was to play today. Japeth [Aguilar] getting injured. And the guy that did not get much credit was Greg Slaughter and the energy he played against June Mar [Fajardo]. He was the difference maker for us. He was the one guy who made them [San Miguel] change the way they play,” Mr. Cone said.
In clinching their third title in six conferences and 11th overall, the Kings used a fiery second half in Game Six from which the Beermen just could not recover from.
Down by three points, 38-35, at halftime, Barangay Ginebra went on a tear in the third quarter, led by Mr. Brownlee, outscoring San Miguel, 27-8, to build a 16-point cushion, 62-46, heading into the final frame.
In the fourth period, the Kings went for the jugular early and was successful in doing so, taking out the fight from the Beermen as early as midway into the quarter en route to the championship.
For his steady play in the series where he averaged allaround numbers of 10.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists, Mr. Thompson was adjudged finals most valuable player.
Mr. Cone said the former National Collegiate Athletic Association MVP was very much deserving of the award.
“I can talk about him [Thompson] for hours. But he is a really special kid. Just scratching the surface of how good he is going to eventually be. I truly believe he will go down as one of the true greats in the PBA,” the Kings coach said.
After starting the conference 1-5 that also saw them call up Mr. Brownlee midway into the tournament, the Kings went on to win 14 of their last 17 games after to win their first Commissioner’s Cup title in 21 years.
Barangay Ginebra now channels its focus next on the PBA Governor’s Cup where it is the two-time defending champion.