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FILE–Ginebra Gin Kings coach Tim Cone during the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals. – PBA PICTURES
MANILA, Philippines – Coach Tim Cone is full of regrets as Barangay Ginebra missed the opportunity to capture the PBA Finals Commissioner’s Cup after Bay Area pulled off a stunning Game 4 victory that clinched second place.
The Gin Kings were favorites to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series after the Dragons saw import Andrew Nicholson go down with an ankle injury, but lost 12 points in the second quarter before losing 94.-86 on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“Disappointed,” Cone said in a text message sent to PBA beat reporters the day after the match. “We have a chance to gain traction in the series and put the Bay Area over the edge.”
Bay Area rally behind 30 points from Kobey Lam, steady play from Glen Yang and Zhu Songwei, Hayden Blankley’s timely recovery from missing the first 11 shots and important contributions from center Duncan Reid and 7-foot-5 Liu Chuanxing.
Cone admitted that Ginebra might take the situation that the Dragons are in, and it’s worth the price.
“We’ve seen games like that before, when the imports come out and you can catch the team sleeping,” Cone continued.
Game 5 is set for Sunday at the same venue, and the good news is that Cone and the Gin Kings can still pull off the upset and move one win away from claiming another championship.
“We have no excuses,” he said. “Like I said at the beginning, it’s going to be a tough series. Nothing is easy in the Finals.”
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