Ginebra ready to take over mantle of No. 1?
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s title victory in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup could trigger a changing of the guard after the Kings dealt mighty San Miguel Beer a humbling defeat in the league’s grandest stage.
The crowd favorites recovered from being down 2-1 in the finals after an embarrassing 132-94 loss in Game 3 by winning the final three games, including Wednesday’s 93-77 triumph in front of 20,490 fans at the Mall of Asia Arena for their third championship in the last six conferences.
Many see the result as perhaps a paradigm shift in terms of dominance in the pro league, a notion the Kings hope to meet in the coming conferences.
“That’s what we’re working for,” said Ginebra center Greg Slaughter. “We won back-to-back Governors’ Cups, we’re a confident team and we think we should up there with the rest.
“That’s what we play for… the championships, and we just got this one. We’ll stay humble and we’ll keep working to defend our Governors’ Cup championship,” added the 7-foot center who played a key part in Ginebra’s turnaround from a 1-5 start in the midseason tournament.
The season-ending Governors’ Cup will start on Aug. 17, but Ginebra is expected to be given a breather before beginning its title defense.
Tim Cone, who won his 21st championship while becoming the first coach in PBA history to lead three teams to at least three titles, appears to downplay such notion.
“For one night at least we are the best team,” he said. “Tomorrow, they’ll be the best team again.”
What marvels Cone is the way the Kings responded from an alarming start that saw Charles Garcia failing to live up to expectations as their original import and Justin Brownlee losing his first two games since being tapped to rescue Ginebra from disaster.