Nothing new for Ginebra
Barangay Ginebra’s back is against the wall. So what else is new? In the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals, Ginebra has to beat the Star Hotshots in Game 6 of their best-ofseven series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight for the chance to clinch in a winner take-all Game 7. That means Ginebra must survive two do-or-die challenges to make it to the finals while Star enjoys a twice-to-beat advantage which translates to the Hotshots needing to win only once in two attempts to advance.
Back in the quarterfinals, Ginebra was in the same predicament against Alaska. The Aces, seeded No. 2, had a twice-to-beat edge over No. 7 Ginebra. But somehow the Barangay managed to pull off two consecutive upsets, 85-81 and 108-97. The man who led the Ginebra charge was L. A. Tenorio who averaged 23.5 points over those two games. If Ginebra hopes to hurdle Star, Tenorio has to reprise the role he played in the Alaska series. Whether he will or can do it is a big question mark.
So far in the semifinals, Tenorio has been a missing link. He averaged 13.8 points, four rebounds, 4.6 assists and 32.8 minutes in the eliminations but in the semis, the numbers are down to 7.2 points, 3.2 boards and 4.4 dimes. L. A. has still to score in double figures in the series.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone’s gambit is to stretch the minutes of every game, play it slow, grind out each possession, keep the scores low and finish with a flourish. In a shootout, Ginebra is no match for Star. The only way Ginebra can beat Star is to dictate the tempo of the game with defense. That’s how Ginebra came back to beat the Hotshots twice in a row after losing the first two encounters. In the first two games, Star averaged 84.5 points, shot 42.5 percent from the field and dished out 28 assists. The Hotshots won, 78-74 and 91-89.
In the next two games, Ginebra tightened the screws on Star and prevailed, 73-62 and 93-86. The Hotshots were held to an average of 74 points, hit 36 percent from the field and compiled only 17 assists. In Game 3, Star had 18 more field goal attempts but shot a poor 29 percent from the field. That was a virtual must-win situation for Ginebra because a loss would’ve thrown the Barangay into a 0- 3 hole. In Game 4, Ginebra took away Star’s passing lanes and forced the Hotshots to play one-on-one as Star settled for jumpers or offbalance attempts. As a result, Star hardly got to the line and shot only 9-of-10 free throws while Ginebra got away with 24-of-33 and collected 21 assists.
But Star got back on the saddle in Game 5 last Friday. Ginebra was a step slower than usual and lacked the energy to sustain a tough defensive stand for 48 minutes. It’s no secret that Cone relies on a shorter rotation than Star coach Chito Victolero. In the semifinals, eight Ginebra players are averaging at least 15 minutes but three are logging at least 30 – Tenorio (34.4), Japeth Aguilar (32.2) and Sol Mercado (30.8). Star also has eight players averaging at least 15 minutes but only two are logging at least 30 – Marc Pingris (34.8) and Paul Lee (33.2). The minutes are more spread out at Star than Ginebra.
So when Star erected a 17-point cushion in the fourth period last Friday, Cone decided to rest his stalwarts and let his relievers finish the contest. Three players whose minutes were dramatically reduced in Game 5 were Kevin Ferrer (18:13 minutes from averaging 28.4), Scottie Thompson (18:25 from averaging 27.4) and Jervy Cruz (14:37 from averaging 18.4). That gave an opportunity for Mark Caguioa and JayJay Helterbrand to relive their glory days as the Fast and the Furious in igniting a late surge that trimmed the gap to seven before time ran out.
What Ginebra did to Star in Games 3 and 4, it couldn’t do in Game 5. The Hotshots whipped the ball around with precision, collecting 20 assists as Ginebra offered little resistance in clogging the passing lanes. They dominated the boards, 47- 37, leaving Ginebra no chance to control the pace of the game. Star hit 48 percent from the field, another indication of Ginebra’s slackening defense. That was the highest field goal percentage the Hotshots have posted in the series.
On offense, Ginebra also took the day off. Only one player ended up in double figure points, Aguilar and he was blanked in the second half. Aguilar didn’t even make a single attempt in the third quarter and sat out the fourth. Clearly, Cone took a step backward to prepare for a recharge in Game 6 tonight.
Victolero has never coached in the finals and he’s now a win away from making history. He has two chances to get it done. He knows if he leaves the door open for Ginebra in a Game 7, the odds will be against the Hotshots. So for sure, Victolero will treat Game 6 as a do-or-die for Star. That could only mean the fans are in for a big treat tonight.