Barangay Ginebra and its very popular never-say-die spirit could only do so much against the bottomless depth and firepower of defending champion San Miguel Beer.

Gracious in defeat, Kings head coach Tim Cone conceded that the Beermen were the better team in the thrilling sibling rivalry in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinals.

Ginebra was shown the exit door, 88-101, on Friday in Game 6 of the best-of-seven series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as it came short of forcing a repeat of the last edition’s Final Four that went the full distance.  

“That was just kind of the story in the whole series — we couldn’t step up big time and they did. That was the series,” Cone said after the Kings missed the finals for the second straight conference.

Ginebra looked like a team ready to topple the reigning titlist after ending the Beermen’s 10-game romp in the series opener.

San Miguel recovered and won the next two games before Scottie Thompson exploded for 33 points and recorded the first 30-point triple-double in 33 years for a local in the Kings’ equalizer in Game 4.

The Beermen, however, were unstoppable in the last two matches as they booked a second straight finals appearance in a rematch with TNT.

“They (Beermen) were obviously the better team. They made all the big shots, they made all the big stops, not just tonight, but for the whole series,” Cone said.

While nine-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo was bothered by hurting shoulders, other San Miguel players stepped up. 

And it was just too much for Ginebra to handle.   MARK ESCARLOTE

In the series-clincher, CJ Perez punished the Kings with a record 30-point first quarter on a perfect 12-for-12 field goal shooting.

“CJ came out and deflated the energy of our defense by the shots he made,” Cone said.

Ginebra refused to give up and tried to make a run, trimming a 19-point deficit to just four in the fourth quarter.

However, Don Trollano spoiled the Kings’ spirited comeback with morale-breaking baskets. Everything crumbled from there.

“Our defense didn’t go tonight, got better in the second half, but every time there was a big moment, we made turnovers or we couldn’t get a stop,” the 25-time champion mentor added.

Cone and his wards can only look forward to a better showing in the mid-season Commissioner’s Cup a couple of months from now.