BARANGAY Ginebra and Meralco will once again square off in the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals, with Game One of the best-of-seven affair set to take place on Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
As you very well know by now, the Gin Kings have beaten the Bolts the three previous times they met in a championsip series, the last one a five-game playoff in the 2019 season.
Here is a preview of Game One and a couple of facts about both teams ahead of the series opener.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
After losing four straight games, the Kings won eight of their last 10 games including two knockout matches against TNT in the quarterfinals as the sixth-seeded team. They won over NLEX in four games during the semifinals.
After a mid-season three-game slide, the Bolts won five of the last seven matches including a defeat of mighty San Miguel in the quarterfinals as the fourth-seeded squad. They beat Magnolia in five games during the semifinals.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
Ginebra is looking for its 14th PBA championship - and fourth Governors' Cup title in the last five editions of the season-ending conference (no Governors' Cup was held in 2020). Meralco is eyeing a maiden league championship for the franchise.
SWEEP SO SWEET
Either way, this PBA Finals will see a sweep of rival blocs. Ginebra dispatched twice-to-beat TNT in the quarterfinals and NLEX in four games in the semifinals. A win over Meralco will give the Kings a sweep of all teams in the MVP bloc.
Meralco put away San Miguel in one game in the quarterfinals and Magnolia in a five-game semis that went the distance. A win over Ginebra will enable the Bolts to duplicate a win that sister team pulled off on the way to the 2021 Philippine Cup championship.
GAME ONE HISTORY
Of the three previous times the two teams met, Barangay Ginebra won the first game of the series twice – 102-87 in 2017, and 91-87 in 2019. The Bolts won in overtime in 2016, 114-109, but still lost the finals.
ENCOUNTER IN ELIMS
Meralco defeated Ginebra, 101-95, last February 13. The Bolts got more rebounds, 53-43, in a statistical department that head coach Norman Black has been emphasizing all conference that his team should dominate for a greater chance at winning.
TOP PLAYERS
Brownlee is averaging 30.3 points, including a 47-point effort in the closeout game against NLEX last March 20. The Ginebra import is also grabbing 11.2 rebounds per game.
Scottie Thompson is averaging 13.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.1 steals. Even though he only had four points in Game Four, Thompson grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists.
Bishop is averaging 25.5 points and 13.4 rebounds this conference. Bishop though had an off night in Game Five when he only had eight points and eight rebounds.
Allein Maliksi is the second leading scorer of Meralco with 14.2 points. He scored a team-high 24 points in the rubber match.
TEAM STATISTICS
It’s offense against defense. Ginebra leads the league in scoring with 102.3 per outing. Meralco gives up 91.5 per game, third behind Alaska and Magnolia. The Kings are also the leading three-point shooting team with 35.1 percent but the Bolts are not far behind at fourth with 32.7 percent.
INJURY REPORT
Chris Banchero is a game-time decision for Meralco as he is still bothered by an injury in his upper body which he sustained in Game Four of the Magnolia series.
Japeth Aguilar is still questionable in the finals, but Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone hinted that the versatile big man will return “at some point” in the series.
Aljon Mariano is good to go in Game One, according to Cone, but the question is can he be a major factor for the Kings after coming off surgery to remove bone spurs.
Christian Standhardinger suffered a non-Covid illness but is ready to play in Game One, said Cone.
THEY SAID IT
Cone: “They just seemed to evolve and get better every year. That’s what you are looking for from a coaching standpoint. Just evolving and getting better. Obviously, they have done that. I’d like to think that we’ve done that.”
Black: “I like my chances this time around. Just hope I can get CB (Banchero) back. If he comes back, I think my chances are pretty good.”
PINTO PLAYS AGAINST FORMER TEAM
Nards Pinto will go up against his ex-team Meralco for the first time in a series. Pinto played in 2019, but has since moved to Ginebra as an unrestricted free agent. The former Arellano guard wasn’t much of a factor in the finals series for the Bolts three years ago, with his best game coming in Game Two where he scored 12 points and dished four assists in a Meralco win. Pinto is averaging 4.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists for Ginebra and has been a catalyst off the bench.
X-FACTORS IN PREVIOUS SERIES
Jeff Chan scored 20 points in Game Four of the NLEX series, and that included a 5-of-8 clip from threes.
Raymond Almazan scored 18 points on 9-of-9 shooting from the field in Game Five.
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