Bolts, Kings out to treat Game 4 as ‘must-win’

Cliff Hodge (No. 7) says Meralco must treat Game 4 like a Game 7. —PBA IMAGES

Meralco will be coming into Wednesday’s Game 4 of the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals against defending champion Barangay Ginebra brandishing a psychological edge all thanks to a gutsy win in the third game last Sunday that gave the Bolts a 2-1 edge.

But having seen this movie before, the Bolts know that that’s all that is—a psychological edge.

Cliff Hodge should know. Meralco’s biggest hero in Game 3 still has memories he can’t shake off—those from the 2016 championship duel against the Gin Kings, when the Bolts blew a similar series lead.

“I’m not even going to lie … that is not something that will never go away in your head,” Hodge said of the lingering bitter taste. “Being up 2-1 and then going into the fourth quarter where we almost had a 3-1 lead? It completely changed the series [that] they won that game, so that is always in the back of [my] mind.”

But this being the fourth installment of his squad’s saga with the Gin Kings, Norman Black feels that it is important to forget the past, and he has advice for guys like Hodge who haven’t let go just yet.

“Just live in the present,” the seasoned mentor said. “[I]n this business, you can’t really live in the past. [You] just have to live with what’s going on right now.”

What’s going on right now is that Black’s Bolts are playing defense as best as they can, as they limited the Kings to just 26 points in the second half of Game 3.

Meralco needs to make sure that defense surfaces again and, according to the tireless Hodge, treat the 6 p.m. game at Smart Araneta Coliseum like a no-tomorrow duel.

“We’re going to treat this like a Game 7, trying to come out with a win no matter what,” said Hodge. “Put our bodies, lives on the line, and just try to do whatever is possible to get the win.”

Meralco knows Game 4 will not lack the driving factor as far as the Kings are concerned with Justin Brownlee and Scottie Thompson expected to be crowned the Best Import and Best Player of the Conference (BPC), respectively, before tipoff.

Ginebra coach Tim Cone was still reeling from his club’s loss, but he is hoping that the two days have afforded his Kings enough time to regroup and recalibrate.

“We had our chances,” he told the Inquirer. “But [the Bolts] were just tougher and better down the stretch. We’re hoping that the extra day in between games allows us to get over the disappointment and that we can get our focus on Game 4.” INQ