GINEBRA is still far from its fine form that led to it winning the championship in the same conference.
That's what LA Tenorio assessed of his side following its 108-107 overtime loss to Blackwater on Friday to open the 2019 PBA Commissioner's Cup.
"We're still trying to parang ibalik yung dati naming ginagawa especially when Justin (Brownlee) is with us. Kasi iba pag all-Filipino, iba pag nandito si Justin eh, so balik na naman kami. We're still in the process again of getting back to the usual rhythm when Justin is with us, so we have to adjust," he said.
Tenorio didn't deny that the situation led to the Gin Kings banking heavily on the do-it-all reinforcement. Brownlee finished with 44 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and one block in the conference-opener.
Save for Greg Slaughter, who collected 24 points, no other player got to double-digits in scoring -- which is easily a cause of concern knowing how many weapons Ginebra has in its arsenal.
"In this game, parang nag-rely kami masyado sa kanya. We cannot be like that," said Tenorio, who himself had eight points despite nursing an injured right index finger.
"We're not like that as a team before when we won the championship. When we had Justin sa mga championships namin, it's really a total team effort. So we just have to get back on track."
But Tenorio knows that it's still too early to make any wild changes, and he believes that this upset loss to the Elite could only mean brighter days ahead for the Gin Kings.
"I think this loss will give us an opportunity to look at ourselves again and look at our team kung ano na talaga yung nagawa namin in the past weeks. We're not yet in a rhythm kasi may mga binago din kami especially sa offense namin, hindi pa kami totally and fully engaged sa level na gusto namin," he said.
"Pero unti-unti. Me, personally, I’m very positive sa magiging turnout ng conference na ito. Gusto sana namin manalo, pero this loss doesn't mean that we cannot defend our crown. Marami namang positive na nangyari."
Ginebra goes back to the drawing board as it faces Meralco on Sunday.
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