CHICAGO - It was that kind of dire straits. Gun to the head, fate of the conference at stake. Game Seven of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals.
Very few names come to mind to rescue a franchise for this type of five-alarm crisis, and one of them is Tim Cone, the winningest coach in PBA history with 22 titles under his belt.
But even the best have their worst days.
READ Ross' Game 7 heroics help Jericho shake off hangover from Tenorio winner
"I feel terrible but that's the way it goes," Cone told reporters after Ginebra uncharacteristically pried defeat from the jaws of victory in a stunning 100-93 loss to San Miguel at the Araneta Coliseum.
A two-time grand slam winner and a five-time Coach of the Year, Cone always had the answers, until Wednesday night when San Miguel's old-fashioned zone defense flustered him.
SURPRISED.
"They jumped into a zone, we didn't handle it well," he conceded.
The San Miguel Beer coaching staff rarely gets accused of creativity and innovation so credit goes to Leo Austria for resorting to the basics and employing a defensive formation that is as rudimentary as ABC.
The zone D worked wonders in a way that it neutralized Ginebra's offense, forcing them into outside shots while hiding a wounded June Mar Fajardo from having to defend ball screens, the Gin Kings' favored point of attack.
Up 72-62 with 1:44 left in the third quarter, Ginebra was well on its way to another Finals appearance before all hell broke loose. Not only did they squander that 10-point cushion, they allowed San Miguel to score 34 in the last 12 minutes.
Obviously, Ginebra panicked when their scoring options dried up in the face of the zone. LA Tenorio, the hero of Game Six could have helped but he played for just 2:28 and attempted zero field goals.
MURDERED ON THE BOARDS.
The 16 turnovers, including four in crucial stretches near the endgame, didn't help. And getting outrebounded, 51-35, made matters worse as it limited Ginebra's fastbreak opportunities and second-chance points.
Jamie Malonzo was awesome with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting but RJ Abarientos (16 points on 5-of-13 shooting) didn't have the star turn required to overcome the perennial all-Filipino finalists.
The narrative at San Miguel, at least to me, is a roster blessed with talent but often cursed by misuse.
Austria flipped the script in Game Seven where he shuffled the deck amazingly well with nine players logging at least 19 minutes each including a one-legged June Mar Fajardo who finished with 21 points and 19 rebounds.
But Austria's boldest move was to yank the misfiring CJ Perez, 7of-16 shooting, in lieu of Chris Ross, the 40-year old veteran who turned a Game Six DNP into a Game Seven MVP performance.
Ross turned back time with 19 points and seven assists while tormenting Ginebra with four steals and a pair of huge 3s late.
While the Beermen slowly, systematically dismantled Cone's fortress, the entire TNT Tropang 5G watched the Game Seven proceedings from the board room of the PLDT office in Makati City.
Suffice it to say, TNT coach Chot Reyes and his chargers will be more prepared to handle the zone San Miguel will likely employ in the Finals.
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