Kings get lineup boost, not betting against Tropang 5G
Barangay Ginebra showed a lot of healthy respect for TNT import Bol Bol after closing the elimination round with a 93-86 victory over the Tropang 5G on Sunday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“He’s such a force in the game, especially here in our game,” Kings coach Tim Cone said. “They talk about him so much in the NBA, too, when he was out there playing. We had the honor of watching him for 12 games here and I think it’s an honor to go up against him here in the country and give him a challenge.”
The 7-foot-4 TNT import finished with 33 points and 10 rebounds, drawing admiration from both Cone and guard RJ Abarrientos.
“I think whoever guards or tries to get a rebound over Bol will have a hard time, so we just did our best to get our momentum and the win,” said Abarrientos, who finished with 17 points, four rebounds and three assists.
More important for the Gin Kings, though, is that they managed to build some momentum and a roster boost heading into the playoffs, where they will battle Phoenix armed with twice-to-beat protection.
Japeth Aguilar returned after missing three games because of a lung problem that required hospitalization.
The veteran forward played limited minutes and finished with six points and three rebounds, but Cone said the numbers mattered less than getting Aguilar reacclimated before the playoffs.
“We certainly wanted him to be comfortable getting back to play,” Cone said. “We didn’t want to extend his minutes too long, but we really wanted him to get in and feel the competition.”
Aguilar spent stretches defending Bol, a difficult assignment for anyone in the league. Cone, though, liked what he saw from the former Gilas Pilipinas big man as the game progressed.
“That was a tough assignment, but I thought he got better and better,” Cone said. “He’ll be a force for us in the playoffs.”
TNT, meanwhile, will face an uphill battle after dropping to No. 8, where it will face No. 1 NLEx in a duel between sister teams. The Tropang 5G need to win twice and avoid a loss to upset the Road Warriors, who have been on a roll so far this conference.
But Cone remains wary of TNT, a side teams may have to reckon with if they have championship plans.
“TNT can turn it around in a heartbeat and find themselves in the Finals easily,” he said. “That’s a team everybody’s eyes have to be on.”
