With a finals trip in sight, Ginebra San Miguel seeks to finish off rival Rain or Shine when they clash in Game 4 of their Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup best-of-five semifinal series today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Game time is at 7 p.m. with the Kings looking to go for the kill and deny the Elasto Painters a chance to forge a sudden death Game 5.
Possessing 2-1 series lead and a win away from the finals, Ginebra coach Tim Cone will still march to the warzone with a lot of caution, aware of Rain or Shine’s ability to mount a comeback.
In Game 3, Ginebra squandered a 25-point lead before regaining its groove to escape with a nail-biting 75-72 win.
“Yes, we’re one win away from the Finals but we just held on by our fingernails. So obviously we’re coming into Game 4 with a lot of concerns,” said Cone, the most victorious coach in the league.
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“We didn’t respond well in the second half of Game Three and we have to respond better this time.”
Cone noted that they were headed for a blowout victory after erecting a 43-18 lead en route to a 46-23 advantage at the half.
But the Elasto Painters waxed hot and uncorked a 49-29 rally to inch closer to posting a come-from-behind victory.
Cone said their overreliance to import Justin Brownlee, who dropped 44 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and five steals, nearly spelled their downfall.
“We became ‘Justin-reliant.’ We got to get smarter than that,” said Cone, who drew a good game from LA Tenorio with 13 points.
“We’re happy to be up 2-1 because we know how good they are. They’re the number one seed for a reason. They’re poised and they’re a veteran team. If we don’t come out with a bit more poise, then they’re going to get Game Four easy. “
Despite staring at a series deficit, Rain or Shine remains determined to make it to the finals.
“Game 3 was a tale of two halves. We’re confident after the way we played in the second half. It gave us a confidence heading into Game 4,” said Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia, who will bank anew on Reggie Johnson, Raymond Almazan and Ed Daquioag.
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