AFTER seeing Rain or Shine’s role players help the Elasto Painters take Game 4, it was Ginebra’s bench players turn to step up.
With Scottie Thompson in foul trouble, it was Ralph Cu and Nard Pinto who played crucial minutes in the fourth as Ginebra held off Rain or Shine, 111-104, to move one win away from the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Cu scored all of his eight points in the final quarter while Pinto was a two-way steadying force in-lieu of Thompson as the Gin Kings made sure that the fiery Elasto Painters won’t be making any comebacks late.
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“Stay ready lang talaga ako e. Kahit ilang minutes ang ibigay sakin. Anytime. Foul trouble si Scottie. Nung last game na na-foul trouble siya, hindi namin siya na-sustain, masama yung laro namin last game,” Cu said.
“This time na-foul trouble ulit si Scottie then ayun naging ready lang ako.”
Cone highlighted the importance of guys like Cu and Pinto playing big minutes in a series like this, especially with the pace that Rain or Shine plays in.
While Justin Brownlee and RJ Abarrientos still logged 40 minutes apiece, Ginebra survived with Thompson just logging in 22 minutes due to foul trouble, thanks to Cu and Pinto who were both net positives each time they’re on the floor.
Cone hopes to see more of his relievers step up come the next game.
“In a series like this where pace is an important part of the game, Rain or Shine makes pace a very important part of the game that makes the guys coming off the bench extra important because you can’t play five guys for 40 minutes at that pace,” he said
“You got to get guys coming off and performing off the bench. You hope that it’s somebody else every night. That’s the idea. Somebody else every night comes out and does it. Just like Rain or Shine. We’re hoping we can find that again in Game 6.”
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