TONY Bishop will cross paths with his former team when Barangay Ginebra takes on Meralco in the PBA Season 48 Commissioner's Cup on on Friday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Bishop was the Meralco import during the 2021-22 PBA Governors’ Cup, which the Bolts ending up losing to a Ginebra side led by Justin Brownlee.
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Meralco coach Luigi Trillo has nothing but praises for their former import that guided them to a runner-up finish more than a year ago, saying Bishop has been bringing exceptional performances to Ginebra that goes beyond the stats sheet.
“Tony is a winner,” said Trillo of Bishop. “He is a class act. People don’t notice all the intangibles he brings to the game.”
Against Bishop and Ginebra, Meralco will be looking to strengthen its bid for a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals. It currently occupies third place with a 6-1 win-loss record and riding the crest of a four-game win streak.
The Bolts are also looking to regain a share of second place with Phoenix Super LPG before heading to the holiday break.
However, Trillo expects Bishop to be at his best as he and Ginebra look to bounce back from a 95-82 defeat to San Miguel last December 15 to slip to a 4-3 win-loss slate.
“He is a great competitor and I know after losing to SMB, he will have his game on. We have to be prepared for his rebounding, shooting and dog-like mentality,” said Trillo.
Rivalry game
The Meralco coach added they are treating the game like any other, despite the long history of animosity between the two camps.
“We have a couple of guys who’ve moved to Ginebra over the years - Jared Dillinger and Nards Pinto. Now Tony,' he said. "To me, it’s going to be just another game against them. Have to get ready. See what they do. We will put our Meralco hard hats on ready to work."
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