Cone, Gin Kings tackle the ‘big deal’

NOW COMES the big deal for coach Tim Cone and the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings in the semifinals of the PBA Governors’ Cup.

Fresh from humbling a San Miguel Beer squad he had earlier installed as the team to beat, Cone and the Gin Kings seek a big follow up victory tonight and a huge advantage in the best-of-five series.

Ginebra took the opener of what has been considered a blockbuster duel between sister teams last Monday, 115-108, after being outplayed in the first half and getting no scoring help from their No. 1 guard LA Tenorio.

“It’s not a big deal,” said Cone after avenging a 111-105 double overtime loss to San Miguel in the eliminations.

“Now Game 2 becomes a big deal,” he added, stressing that the Beermen will be coming out more intense and determined in their next meeting.

The Kings, who trailed 26-39 early in the second quarter and sent Cone thinking they were overmatched, relied on import Justin Brownlee, Japeth Aguilar, Sol Mercado and rookie Scottie Thompson to turn the game around in the third quarter despite the shooting drought of Tenorio, who fired 32 when Ginebra ousted Alaska in their quarterfinal playoff last week.

Brownlee went on to finish with a game-high 39 points on top of 16 rebounds. Aguilar added 22 while acquitting himself well in hounding 6-foot-10 San Miguel center June Mar Fajardo. Mercado contributed 19 while Thompson had 11 points, 10 assists and six rebounds.

Import Elijah Millsap paced SMB with 29 points, Fajardo had 25 and Alex Cabagnot 20, but there was one disturbing aspect that hounded the Beermen.

While they got away with a nine-man roster in booting out the NLEX Road Warriors in the quarterfinal playoffs, using only eight men against the Gin Kings left their key men fagged out down the stretch.

From 82-92, San Miguel rallied to within 102-105 with barely four minutes left, but a Mercado triple and a three-point play by Brownlee finally doomed the Beermen, 111-102.

Ginebra is playing in the semifinals for the first time since the 2013 Philippine Cup where it lost in the finals to Cone and San Mig Coffee, now the Star Hotshots.

The Beermen are seeking a third title in their last four tournaments.

The Gin Kings won their last championship in the 2007-2008 Fiesta Conference under Jong Uichico, who is now handling the TNT KaTropa in the other ongoing semifinal duel against the Meralco Bolts.