BARANGAY Ginebra and Magnolia Chicken Timplados battle for the first time this season as the rivals square off in the PBA 47th Season Philippine Cup on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Gins go up against the Hotshots at 6:30 p.m. in a Fathers’ Day clash with much importance despite the game being scheduled early in the season.
See Ginebra turns back Rain or Shine comeback to stay undefeated
Ginebra, which holds a 2-0 win-loss record, is looking to forge a tie with San Miguel on top of the standings. GInebra is looking to reclaim the Philippine Cup title after winning it in the 2020 bubble.
Magnolia is struggling going into the match with a 1-3 win-loss record, and another defeat could be a dampener to its quest for a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
In this rivalry game though, Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone said numbers go out of the window.
“The records don’t matter when it comes to that kind of rivalry,” said Cone. “Doesn’t matter what team has 0-10, and the other team 10-0 and still it could be a great game because they are going to lift the level of their game.
LA Tenoro and the Gin Kings eye their third stright win, while Paul Lee's Hotshots try to bounce back.
Ginebra is fresh from a 90-85 win over Rain or Shine, but Cone isn’t satisfied yet with the play of the Gins, who had to weather a couple of rallies by the Elastopainters before surviving with the victory.
“We hope we can lift our game and when you play a rival, that’s a natural thing you do. I don’t think records really matter at this point. We start 0-0 and go from there,” said Cone.
The Hotshots, on the other hand, seek to claim a key victory at the close of the week that saw them play three games in five days.
Magnolia narrowly lost to San Miguel, 87-81, on Friday to drop another game after beginning the conference with two straight defeats.
“Kailangan talaga namin ng recover and rest,” said Magnolia coach Chito Victolero after the SMB game. “We play three games in five days. It’s very hard for everyone not only the players but also for the coaches. Hopefully, we can survive. We have to find ways on how to win on Sunday even if we have a deadly schedule.”
A big question mark is whether Paul Lee will play on Sunday. Lee has missed two games due to back spasms, and Victolero is not discounting the possibility of the Magnolia guard sitting out the match to keep him healthy for the late stretch of the conference.
“We want a healthy Paul Lee. It’s not a major injury but we hope that the medical staff will do something about that. Eto ‘yung mga gustong laro ni Paul, ‘yung mga games sa elite teams. But ‘yun nga, hindi siya makalaro dahil may nararamdaman din siya. He always supports the players and the coaches and the team. He is there cheering. Hopefully, he can come back. Kung hindi man by Sunday, maybe in our next game. Ang gusto lang namin, makabalik si Paul ng healthy,” said Victolero.
In the first game, Phoenix Super LPG and Rain or Shine go up against each other at 4:30 p.m.
The Fuel Masters look to claim their first winning streak of the conference following their 97-74 victory over Terrafirma on Friday.
Like Phoenix, Rain or Shine holds a 1-2 win-loss record and eyes to break a two-game losing skid in the game.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
