MANILA, Philippines—Ginebra blew out Meralco in Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals but the winning margin isn’t anything to glorify, at least for coach Tim Cone.
After the Gin Kings’ 90-71 win over the Bolts at Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, Cone reiterated that the only reason to breathe easier is because they virtually brought the series back to square one.
Winning by a huge margin? That’s just “pogi points.”
“To me… I don’t want to say it and let everybody know but I’ve said it before. These things, winning by a big margin, is all just ‘pogi points’ in a series,” said the coach.
Ginebra’s LA Tenorio and coach Tim Cone after tying the series at two games a piece. | @MeloFuertesINQ pic.twitter.com/s2d7XPwwM3
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) May 24, 2024
“You don’t win extra games for it. If you win by 30, you get one win. If you win by one point, you still only get one win. The only good part about this, having that big margin, was we were able to rest our starters but they were able rest theirs too so it’s all going to equal out.”
READ: PBA: Trailing 2-1, Ginebra ‘can’t play the same way’ vs Meralco
And one of the guys that stepped up while the starters were resting was veteran LA Tenorio, who dropped seven points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Cone’s mentality of not minding whether they win big or not has stuck to the Gin Kings, and one person in particular who was really behind the “no pogi points” culture is Scottie Thompson.
“In our culture under coach Tim for how many years now, when it comes to series. We don’t care about blowouts or one-point wins, as long as it’s a win,” after scattering 15 points and five assists.