Kings book Finals berth

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The road back to the PBA Philippine Cup finals was a long and treacherous one for Barangay Ginebra, but those brushes with elimination the past three weeks could serve the Gin Kings well for the most important battle ahead.

Buoyed by a crowd that provided them an extra dose of energy, the Gin Kings survived yet another do-or-die match with an 89-76 victory over the Star Hotshots in Game 7 Tuesday night before 20,220 fans at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

“The thing I learned about this run is that we’re never out of the basketball game, we’re never out of the series and that’s because of the energy that the crowd gives us,” said coach Tim Cone, who guided Ginebra to its first finals appearance in the All-Filipino conference in a decade.

Ginebra had fought off elimination several times since its quarterfinal showdown against a second-ranked Alaska squad and needed to overcome a 0-2 series deficit against Star.

And the job gets increasingly difficult now for the Gin Kings with the defending champion San Miguel Beermen standing in their way of a second consecutive crown.

The Beermen themselves have no shortage in motivation, gunning for the Perpetual Trophy as they target a third straight All-Filipino title.

“I have not watched their series,” Cone said, referring to the Beermen’s seven-game conquest of TNT KaTropa. “I never paid attention to their series. I didn’t want to distract myself.”

Cone had his hands full in his own series. After losing Game 5 and trailing early in Game 6, Ginebra looked like it had lost its magic.

“I think in the middle of the series, I felt we didn’t have it (anymore),” said Cone. “We were dragging in practice, dragging in pregame meetings but then we walk out on the court and everybody is energized again.”

With Ginebra legend Robert Jaworski in attendance, the Gin Kings broke out of the gates hard with the trio of LA Tenorio, Japeth Aguilar and Joe Devance leading the charge for a 33-18 lead in the second period.

Sol Mercado took over in the third with a string of triples, helping the Gin Kings keep the Hotshots at bay.

When Star closed in at 68-65, LA Tenorio quickly restored order with a step back triple, before Aguilar nailed four straight points and Jervy Cruz capped the run with a fast break lay-up for a 79-65 lead.

“It was tough because of the expectations on you,” said Cone. “You try to be a little bit careful not to lose, but my guys did a good job. They kept pushing and kept battling.”