Ginebra eyes trip to Finals

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.

“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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