Maximizing bigs, Ginebra goes back to triangle

Ginebra coach Tim Cone. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net

Ginebra coach Tim Cone was forced to veer away from his vaunted triangle offense for the past year during the course of Greg Slaughter’s ACL injury, opting to employ a much faster up-tempo game to help his team win games as well as the 2016 PBA Governors’ Cup in the process.

But with the Cebuano giant back in the fray this season-ending conference, the two-time Grand Slam-winning mentor wasted no time going back to his basics to make the most of his bigs.

In one stretch in the Gin Kings’ 124-108 win over GlobalPort on Sunday, Cone put LA Tenorio as the lone guard, surrounding the veteran playmaker with Justin Brownlee, Joe Devance, Japeth Aguilar, and Slaughter, posing many problems for the Batang Pier.

“Now that we have Greg, the triangle is really better for us at this point,” he said. “Our bigs need the ball, and they need to be in position. They need to get the ball down low and have an opportunity to score, and that’s what the triangle is good at. It rewards the post guys.”

Cone’s experiment of sorts not only delighted the fans but also Tenorio, who had the unenviable task of making the combination work.

“If we were successful today, I think we’ll stick to that system. We have to play to our strength which is our bigs. If we get back to triangle to be successful this conference, we will stick to that,” he said.

The towering studs weren’t the only beneficiaries of the shift, with Tenorio pumping 29 points, five rebounds, and four assists in the victory.

The veteran playmaker shared that having those four on the floor may have its drawbacks, but it’s a huge confidence booster for the guards knowing that there’s a solid frontcourt he can rely on.

“It also gave me confidence knowing we have four big guys down low. The opponents are focusing down low, so us guards get open in the outside,” Tenorio said.

However, Cone said that Ginebra going back to the triangle offense isn’t just limited to big lineups, sharing that if there’s one thing the triangle can thrive on, it’s definitely flexibility.

“One thing we like about the triangle is it allows us to play all kinds of lineups. We had the big line-up, we had a small line-up. It allows us to do different things defensively as well,” he said.

As elated as Cone is with the early returns following the GlobalPort win, the veteran mentor said that there’s still a lot of things the Gin Kings need to address to fully embrace the triangle once again. And it’s a good time for Ginebra to test the new style of play in the coming games, with Kia and league leader NLEX coming this week in its schedule.

“It worked for us tonight, but we’re gonna have tougher games coming up,” he said. JE