Ginebra marches to Final 4

There would be no denying LA Tenorio his moment under the spotlight.

Justin Brownlee scored a game-high 36 points, but it was Tenorio who shone brightest in one crucial stretch as Barangay Ginebra pummeled Meralco 104-90 Wednesday to advance to the PBA Commissioner's Cup semifinals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

After the Bolts whittled an 18-point deficit to just six, Tenorio promptly buried a corner 3 then followed it up with a steal and an assist which Brownlee translated into an emphatic dunk that fully sparked the Kings' endgame push.

"LA's 3, his steal and assist, that's the game right there," said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.

"It's just LA being LA. Such a big moment guy."

Next up for Ginebra is the winner of the Rain or ShineGlobalPort tussle, set to be decided Thursday, in a bestof-five duel that should start over the weekend.

The victory is actually the seventh straight for the Kings and the semis stint their sixth straight. But Cone remains wary.

"So we're through. That's the good news," said Cone.

"Now we're able to sit and watch Rain or Shine play GlobalPort tomorrow and we'll start preparing for that series," added Cone.

"It's a blessing and a curse. A blessing since we have the momentum, playing well. But it's also a curse because at some point you've got to come down from the mountain. Let's see if we can stay on the mountain." —

PBA.com

After days of training in seclusion since he arrived here last week, Matthysse finally opened the doors of the makeshift gym at Le Meridien to entertain the media. He had been working out behind closed doors since he touched down last Thursday, and the only source of quotes from him came from dispatches by his handlers at Golden Boy Promotions.

This has fueled speculations that the 35-year-old Argentinean is still packing excess poundage just four days away from his showdown with Pacquiao at the Axiata Arena.

On Wednesday, Matthysse and his trainer Joel Diaz faced the press to assure everyone that weight is not an issue.

“Right now he's 149 (pounds), so he's only a couple of pounds over,” said Diaz, confident that his ward will meet the welterweight limit of 147 pounds.

“He's been like that for the last couple of weeks,” added Diaz.

Matthysse’s camp earlier bared that the champion had been “eating very healthy” since his arrival here, enjoying a diet of fish, chicken, spaghetti, vegetables and fruits.

Matthysse himself said he is done with all the hard work back in Indio, California where he trained for weeks.

“Now I'm maintaining, just basically tuning up,” he told the press through Diaz, who acted as his translator throughout the session.

“I’ve had a great preparation. I’m here with my belt and I’m gonna take it back home,” added Matthysse.

Pressed for comment on Matthysse’s weight, Pacquiao’s trainer Buboy Fernandez said the bigger issue for Matthysse would be coming in too heavy and too slow on fight day after rehydrating.

“Baka hindi ma-control yung pagpalaki the day of the fight. Pag nagpalaki siya, mabigat sa kanya yun (He might not control adding on weight. He might be too heavy for his own good),” said Fernandez.—

Philstar.com