Cone looks for consistency amid Gin Kings’ tight schedule

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Christian Standhardinger (top photo, No. 34) and the Kings outmuscle Leonard Santillan and the Elasto Painters during Sunday night’s game. — AUGUST DELA CRUZ

Using strong determination in a second half where everything seemed lost, Barangay Ginebra played efficiently to upend Rain or Shine on Sunday night and earn a victory that gets the Gin Kings’ title retention bid in the Governor’s Cup off to a good start. .

But head coach Tim Cone hardly had to be happy with the result.

“We are just happy to get through this one,” he said shortly after the 116-108 triumph at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao. “We go Sunday, Wednesday, Friday, [then] Week. And all three teams we play will all have new imports, so that’s really important to get.

“We have to get what we can get because our schedule is very tight. It’s almost like playing a best-of-seven now,” he added.

Ginebra is one of the three PBA teams whose schedule in the end-of-season tournament is compressed due to their stars who are likely to make the roster for the National Team that will host Lebanon and Jordan in the sixth and final window. International Basketball Federation World Cup Asian Qualifiers this month.

The Gin Kings returned to work on February 8 against the early leader NLEX, kicking off a torturous stretch where they played five clubs over the course of 12 days.

And as Cone mentioned, three of those five sides — the Road Warriors, Magnolia, and Blackwater — will be fielding new reinforcements, meaning any readiness that can be gleaned from early scouting is still a long way off.

NLEX captain Kevin Alas, who is looking forward to the arrival of NBA veteran Wayne Selden Jr. can maximize the chances of defeating loved ones, knowing the benefits that the team can achieve.

“We can only hope that he is not yet one hundred percent in terms of the situation because he has just been training,” he told the Inquirer.

“Maybe it will also be an advantage for us if they haven’t been able to see our new imports,” he said.

Track steps

What gives Cone relief ahead of Ginebra’s seemingly steep trek should feel very familiar to the Gin Kings.

“We play every play date, but the good news is the experience of playing in a seven-game series, so hopefully we can do better,” said Cone, whose crew is coming off a Commissioner’s Cup final exit. go away

“But we can’t ping-pong back and forth like we did [Bay Area] Dragon. We have to follow up on Wednesday against a team that played very well,” he said.

According to Scottie Thompson, a pillar of the club, there are bigger profits that Ginebra can make with its tight schedule.

“I think it will be good for us because it can help us with the momentum,” he told reporters Sunday night. “That’s what we hope will happen.”

“This conference, the imports are of a high caliber. So we have to be able to help Justin [Brownlee],” he added. INQ

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