PBA: Tim Cone says Bay Area coach Goorjian did a ‘great job of selling calls’

Ginebra coach Tim Cone with the Gin Kings during Game 2 of the PBA Finals. – PBA PICTURES

MANILA, Philippines–Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone made sure he would start by praising Bay Area for successfully making adjustments that led to a 1-1 draw after two games in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals.

“They got everything they wanted tonight and we couldn’t get anything they wanted. They did a good job of getting upset,” Cone said after the Gin Kings’ 99-82 loss on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

He immediately became a psychological war toy.

“I thought (Bay Area) coach Brian (Goorjian) did a good job of selling it to the press and selling it to you and everyone else about the calls from the last game,” Cone continued, referring to Goorjian’s statement after Game 1 about the officiating that the Dragons tried and can adjust.

“[He] do a great job of selling. And we know we’re not going to get any calls – it’s like we’re a visiting team.

That jab doesn’t mean Cone isn’t focused on what King Gin did and what his midseason conference visiting team did in Game 2.

Ginebra took Game 1 with imports Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson, LA Tenorio and Christian Standhardinger making their presence felt with activity at both ends and offensive efficiency.

But Game 2 saw Brownlee have to carry the load for the Gin Kings, although the Dragons were able to force him to make 12 of 28 attempts to score 32 points.

Thompson and Tenorio were a little less productive this time around while Standhardinger had no answer to Bay Area import Andrew Nicholson.

“He made the right adjustments tonight, he really disrupted our offense and couldn’t get to the spot,” Cone said. “[They] did a great job on Justin making him a volume shooter. And this time they reached the edge. Finally he didn’t get to the rim. So, there’s a lot to see.”

And they have plenty of time to address those concerns, with Game 4 not happening until Jan. 4 at the Mall of Asia Arena because of the long layoff.

“It’s going to be a fun series. They’re tough,” said the Ginebra mentor. “And one thing we learned tonight, I feel like, we just show up and win, and we can’t play against this team. This team is way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, good, way, way, way, way, way, good, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, good, and big .

“Let’s see what we can do in Game 3.”

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