GIN KINGS TRY TO STOP BEERMEN
With a 3-2 edge, Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings look to complete its upset over defending champion San Miguel in Game 6 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup today
The Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings will aim for no less than a win against the defending champion San Miguel Beermen in Game 6 of the best-of-seven-series of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup in the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City.
The Gin Kings, a crowd favorite, hold a 3-2 edge and will have the opportunity to close out the series in the 20,000-seating capacity MOA Arena at 7 tonight.
The hero of Game 5, Scottie Thompson, who scored six of the team’s nine points to erase a five-point deficit in the final three minutes, vows to bring the same intensity to prevent the Beermen to extending the series to winnertake-all Game 7.
“Expect me to be aggressive,” said the Digos City-native Thompson, who finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in the Game 5 win.
Ginebra’s head tactician Tim Cone wants to end the series in Game 6 and insist that they will do their best to avoid a deciding Game 7.
“Obviously, we don’t want to go to Game Seven with San Miguel Beer. They’re too explosive. Any given night, they can put in a hundred points,” PBA’s winningest coach Cone said on pba.ph.
“Dapat kunin na namin sa Game 6, mahirap kalaban ‘yan sa Game 6,” said Ginebra ace playmaker LA Tenorio.
The Beermen think otherwise as they look to mount another comeback just like they did in the 2016 Philippine Cup Finals, where the team recovered from a 0-3 to stun the Alaska Aces.
“Dapat nasaktan kami sa talo na ‘to, dapat wake-up call sa amin ‘to na makabawi kami sa Game 6,” Santos said.
“Di pa naman tapos di ba? Sabi nga ng bawat isa sa amin, yung 0-3 nakasurvive kami, ito pang isang
panalo lang, diba,” Santos said referring to San Miguel’s historic ‘Beeracle’ run against Alaska in the 2016 Philippine Cup Finals.
San Miguel coach Leo Austria is hopeful that the team can force a rubber match and salvage another crown in addition to their Philippine Cup fourth-peat and their Governors Cup title reign in 2015.
“We don’t need to wait another conference to get to the finals. We’re still here, needing to win two games to defend our title, and I think we’re capable of doing it,” said Austria.
Ginebra drew first blood in the series after winning Game 1 before San Miguel responded with two straight games to take a 2-1 lead. Ginebra even the series at 2-all in Game 4. /