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    Ginebra win over Terrafirma proof we 'made right call,' says Cone

    Cone puts in final word on 'Sagip Kapamilya' controversy
    Nov 9, 2020
    PHOTO: PBA Images

    BARANGAY Ginebra coach Tim Cone said the decision to rest the team’s top stars on Sunday in a game against San Miguel turned out to be the correct one as the Gin Kings enter the PBA Philippine Cup playoffs as the top seed, healthy and with the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.

    The Gin Kings' 102-80 rout of Terrafirma on Monday allowed Cone’s team to grab the top seed in the quarterfinals with an 8-3 record, just a day after Cone came under fire for Ginebra’s lackluster play in a loss to San Miguel that some fans construed as 'help' to an embattled sister team.

    “We made [the decision] early and, as it turned out, if I may say now, it’s the right call," the Ginebra coach said after the win against lowly Terrafirma. "We are the number one seed. We are where we wanted to be – go into the playoffs healthy and fresh and we have a shot at it.”

    The multi-titled explained that the risk was too great if Barangay Ginebra went all out in the game against the Beermen then ended up fatigued in the second game of back-to-back days against Terrafirma on Monday.

    Ginebra needed only one win from the two games to clinch a twice-to-beat edge.

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    “I’ll be kicking myself really, really badly right now if I had to try to come back and used our guys and our top players, wore them out, and lost today,” said Cone. “Again, we needed one win and I felt and the coaching staff felt that we are not going to get a shot at winning the game [against San Miguel].

    "Remember, San Miguel was coming off a blowout loss… We knew that they will come out hard and we’re coming off a tough game with Talk ‘N Text and we weren’t mentally ready for to play that basketball game,” Cone added.

    Cone said that once he felt his starters weren’t mentally-ready for the match against the Beermen, he turned to his other players to carry the fight in the endgame.

    “And again, that’s on me. I have to get our guys mentally ready. I was hoping that they were mentally ready. But they weren’t and I have to make that decision. It was a difficult decision. It’s a decision I’ve made multiple times in my career and it seems like every time I make that decision that way, I’ve been hit on it,” said Cone.

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      Cone said he simply couldn't afford to see his team missing out on a Top Four finish in the eliminations after all the work the team put in this conference.

      “We felt that the risk was too great to go and lose this game and then go down and lose our twice-to-beat advantage," he said. "That’s a call we had to make."

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      PHOTO: PBA Images
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