Japeth Aguilar (left) is carrying the bulk of Ginebra’s effort to battle San Miguel Beer’s June Mar Fajardo. —PBA IMAGES
Coach Tim Cone said playing fire with fire will not be the case for Barangay Ginebra, as it tries to close out San Miguel Beer and set up a showdown with TNT for the championship of the PBA Governors’ Cup.
“If you’re gonna try [to] outscore San Miguel, you’re gonna fail 90 percent of the time because they’re so gifted offensively,” Cone said ahead of Sunday’s Game 6 of their semifinal series set at 7:30 p.m. at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
A win will put the Gin Kings into the Finals against the Tropang Giga, who two nights earlier in Antipolo City delivered the knockout blow on the Rain or Shine ElastoPainters for a 4-1 semis series triumph.
The win allowed TNT to have more rest as it now waits for this semis duel to conclude. Game 1 could start the following Sunday at the latest at Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Ginebra is hoping to get the job done and avoid a deciding seventh game with San Miguel in three days’ time. And for that to happen, it will need to put the same defensive mindset that translated into a 121-92 Game 5 rout on Friday.
“They’re playing to their strengths, which is that they’re a great offensive team. We would like to think that we’re more of a defensive team and that’s where our strength is,” Cone said as Ginebra bounced back from being battered by San Miguel, 131-121, in Game 4.
Rookie steps up
“So when we try to go out there and try to play their game, we’re gonna find ourselves in trouble. And that’s what happened in Game 4. These guys understood that, and they owned [up to] it and they came out with a different mindset.”
Ginebra forced San Miguel to 19 Game 5 turnovers, some of which were key in overhauling a 13-point first-quarter deficit.
Scottie Thompson and Japeth Aguilar had much to do with that before rookie RJ Abarrientos keyed a second-half breakaway that sent Ginebra on the doorstep of a Finals return after two semis exits last season.
San Miguel is looking at sending the series to a deciding Game 7 on Wednesday with a win, but will be coming into the contest figuring out Jericho Cruz’s status.
Cruz left Game 5 with a sprained ankle after stepping on the foot of Maverick Ahanmisi during a rebound battle with Thompson.
But the Beermen are also looking for more production outside of June Mar Fajardo, import EJ Anosike and CJ Perez to stay alive.
TNT downed Rain or Shine, 113-95, in the semis clincher behind another workhorse performance from import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
The former NBA player finished with 36 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and six steals for the Tropang Giga.