Kings, Bolts dispute key 3-2 lead

Barangay Ginebra flashed its trademark never-say-die attitude and pulled out Game 4 from the rubble on Friday night.

But there’s still one thing the Gin Kings have so far failed to do in their best-of-seven clash with Meralco for the PBA Governors’ Cup title – lead the Bolts in these championship playoffs, which would mean doing one other thing they haven’t since the end of the elimination round.

Ginebra also hasn’t won back-to-back games since the elimination round, something which coach Tim Cone said as early as after Game 2 as one “we have hopefully learned,” and getting past that hump would give them the upperhand over the Bolts for the first time.

An 88-86 win hopefully would give Ginebra the momentum that it needs as the Kings and the Bolts break a 2-2 tie for the season-ending championship set at 6:30 p.m. today at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

Meralco, meanwhile, will have to put that stinging defeat behind. Stinging because the Bolts had a 16-point lead going into the fourth period and looked like clear winners until Cone pulled something out of his hat that counterpart Norman Black probably wasn’t prepared for.

The Kings got the spark from Jay-Jay Helterbrand in a mind-boggling opening to the final frame of Game 4 as he celebrated his 40th birthday by gifting the Kings a win that Cone said “saved us the series.”