–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Crowd favorite Barangay Ginebra ushered in the new year with a masterful triumph over powerhouse San Miguel, a convincing display of his might that was far different from how he ended 2024, when he won a victory with a triple against Magnolia.
Still, head coach Tim Cone wasted no time comparing how his team fared in those contests. What’s important, he says, is to stay on track.
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“You know — I think I said this last game — that every game is different, and I think we understand that as a group,” he said shortly after the 93-81 dismantling of his brother Beermen at Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday. night.
“You know, your approach can’t change. Your approach must remain solid as you try to create a standard in the way you play. And so that’s, I think, what we’re most focused on.
With a record of 5-2 (win-loss), the Gin Kings are now on a two-game winning streak. Before Sunday’s victory, the coveted club had escaped the Hotshots, another sister team, thanks to a Scottie Thompson triple at the buzzer on Christmas Day. Before that, Cone and his charges fell to a young Converge team.
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Good halves
“Tonight we put two halves together,” Cone said. “The other two games we had a good half and a bad half. Tonight we managed to have two good halves (even if) the second half was difficult.
“You know, keeping (the Beermen) at bay was a real struggle. But… this time we were a little more determined, I think,” he added.
Luckily for Cone, Barangay Ginebra will have a lot more chance to fine-tune its game as it has five more games left on its playoff round schedule. However, the first of these contests is shaping up to be an interesting matchup as the Gin Kings take on top-ranked NorthPort this Wednesday, who have won all but one of their last seven games.
“They’re a lot more rounded in terms of size and, you know, they switch a lot on defense. So, you know, we’ll have to spend the next few days really diving into the video and figuring out how to play them,” he said of the Batang Pier.
“But there’s no doubt about it: It was a big win for us tonight and a big win for us in the future.”
Also looking to build on a huge triumph is Meralco, who will jump back into action against TNT this Tuesday, at 7:30 p.m., at the PhilSports Arena after claiming the scalp of visiting Hong Kong, 88-83, also last Sunday.
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“We have been through difficult times. Our last two games were defeats. We also had eight injuries,” said coach Luigi Trillo whose team improved to 4-2 and will next face a Tropang Giga team eager to improve on its 2-2 record. INQ
