TIM Cone isn’t dwelling too much on Barangay Ginebra’s loss to Meralco but he’s disappointed with how the team fell victim to the pitfalls of success in a 112-91 rout on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Winners of the last five entering this clash against the struggling Bolts, Ginebra just didn’t have the energy to match up with a gritty Meralco side which looked determined to end a two-game slide.
And that’s what disappoints Cone the most.
READ: Easy win for Meralco on Labor Day as Ginebra falls flat
“We didn’t show up tonight. It happens sometimes, been through a lot of those games. It was too typical for us and that’s what’s upsetting – we did what most teams do, we let down after going on a big winning streak,” Cone told SPIN.ph as he exited the Big Dome.
“Just one of those nights. We didn’t have it. We came off a five-game winning streak and the guys just weren’t ready to play, Meralco was hungrier and better tonight so, we just got to throw this one out, that's not us,” he added.
Aside from RJ Abarrientos and Justin Brownlee, who fired 24 and 23 respectively, nobody from Ginebra showed up offensively with the usually efficient and prolific import having a nightmare night from the field – hitting just nine of his 24 shots.
This is in stark contrast to the Bolts who had six players hitting double-digits, moving the ball better and finding better looks evident in their 27-14 tally in the assist count.
Disappointing as it is, Cone knows they can’t dwell on it – not when they only have a day to rest and prepare for Rain or Shine which the Gins battle on Sunday in the same venue.
Though still sitting at third with a 7-3 record, the twice-to-beat advantage is stil not a certainty for Ginebra – especially after a blowout loss to the 6-3 Bolts.
“We’re not going to get too worried about it, we got to turn it around, we don’t have much time cause we got to turn around and face Rain or Shine so, that’s where our focus is on right now,” Cone said.
“From here on out, we’ll see if we can bounce back on Sunday.”
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