Cone on Game 6 collapse: Close out games are the hardest

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

BOCAUE — Ginebra coach Tim Cone minced no words when assessing the dismal showing of his side on the heels of its 98-91 defeat to Meralco in Game 6 of the 2017 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals on Wednesday.

“We got off to a bad start, they got off to a great start. We tried to catch up the whole game, but we just couldn’t get over the hump,” he said.

The Gin Kings found themselves down early, trailing the Bolts by as much as 20 points, 24-44, in the second quarter as Cone desperately tried to wake his wards from their slumber.

The lackluster play from the defending champion aggravated Cone’s frustrations, and he ended up pleading for every call in the first half before ultimately slumping in his chair in disgust.

Though Ginebra strung a better performance in the second half and trimmed the deficit to as low as four, 90-86, in the payoff period, Meralco just had more in its tank as it equalized the series and forced the winner-take-all Game 7.

“We just couldn’t make a big stop when we needed it, we just couldn’t get a big rebound when we needed it,” the seasoned mentor said. “We made a couple of runs, but just when we made a big run we just can’t make a big stop or get a big rebound or hit a big shot.”

Cone wasn’t alone in his disappointment, as the record crowd of 53,642 who attended the game at the massive Philippine Arena went dead silent, confused why Ginebra didn’t capitalize on its advantage.

But in the 59-year-old mentor’s eyes, the Gin Kings’ defeat underscored how tough it is to finish off any series, especially with championships hanging in the balance.

“Close out games are really hard to do. It’s just a hard thing to get done, and I have a number in my career and never found a surefire way to win that close out game,” he said.

Rather than dwell on the defeat, the 19-time PBA champion coach would rather shift his focus towards the final game of the season on Friday.

“We can’t spend time feeling bad about Game 6. It’s done and over. We got to move on to Game 7 already. I guess this is what everybody wanted — a Game 7,” Cone said.

“Best two words in sports: Game 7. It really is. There’s nothing more exciting or suspense filled that playing Game 7 and I think the best thing you could do is to enjoy playing in a Game 7.”