THEY’LL BE FINE
Tim Cone believes Barangay Ginebra will be well-equipped in preparing for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals against NorthPort while he and some of the team’s key members who are part of Gilas Pilipinas compete in the Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers.
“These guys [who will play for Gilas] will be playing meaningful games, and I think that will help once they come back and play these [semifinal] games,” the concurrent national coach said after Ginebra eliminated old rival Meralco, 94-87, in the Game 3 decider of the quarterfinals at Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
“It’s just going to be the energy levels that we have to be concerned of. I mean, do they have the energy to come back and start a long series with NorthPort and be on top of their game?” Cone added.
The semifinals of the midseason tournament, all best-of-seven affairs including the TNT-Rain or Shine matchup, will start on Feb. 26 at Smart Araneta Coliseum as the league gives way to Gilas’ matches against Chinese-Taipei and New Zealand.
But before wrapping things up in the continental qualifiers, Gilas is scheduled to play a series of tune-ups in Doha against Qatar, Lebanon and Egypt, games which Cone said would prepare the national squad for the Fiba Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia in August.
Brownlee, Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo and Troy Rosario will take part in the Doha trip. Japeth Aguilar is skipping the exhibition matches but is joining Gilas for the Fiba window in Taiwan and Auckland.
As Cone and assistant Richard del Rosario are going to focus on Gilas, Ginebra’s semifinal buildup will be taken care of by other members of the staff led by Olsen Racela, Kirk Collier and Jamil Lipae.
The Gin Kings are priming themselves for a tough battle with the Batang Pier, who after topping the eliminations at 9-3 beat the Magnolia Hotshots in come-from-behind fashion in the quarterfinals.
Tough test
One of NorthPort’s wins came against Ginebra, pulling off a tough 119-116 decision on Jan. 8 at Philsports Arena in Pasig City behind import Kadeem Jack and the duo of Joshua Munzon and ex-King Arvin Tolentino.
“NorthPort beat us in the eliminations. They certainly beat [almost] every team in the eliminations [and] we’re not the only one,” Cone said. “Arvin’s playing at an MVP level, Munzon’s playing at an MVP level. Those two guys really carry the load for them.
“Jack seems to be a pretty good complement for them, and he fills the big man they need. So it’s going to be tough.”
Ginebra survived Meralco in the latest chapter of their seemingly endless rivalry, bucking a 13-point deficit in the second quarter and taking the lead for good in the third before holding off its foe’s comeback in the final canto.
The foiled attempts compounded the frustrations of the Bolts, who were incensed with the calls that active consultant Nenad Vucinic was tossed in the fourth for two technicals, the last over an offensive foul that was later reversed.
Brownlee’s 25 points despite an 8-of-22 shooting and his 10 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks were among the keys to the win.
