BARANGAY Ginebra coach Tim Cone is bracing for a tough fight regardless of who their opponent will be in the PBA 50th Season Governors’ Cup quarterfinals.
The Gin Kings will either have NLEX or San Miguel in the quarterfinals if they either win or lose by 23 points or less against Blackwater on Friday at the close of the elimination round of the season-ending conference.
“You look at the other side, it doesn’t really matter whether you’re one, two, three, or four [seed] in our side because everybody there is going to be a chore,” said Cone.
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Ginebra will end up at No. 4 in Group B with a loss to Blackwater by 23 points or less, arranging a quarterfinal match-up against NLEX, whose conference under new head coach Jimmy Alapag has brought it to No. 1 in Group A.
Ginebra will finish at No. 3 with a win over Blackwater. That will set up the Gin Kings for a face-off with Group A No. 2 San Miguel, a perennial championship contender led by import George King and nine-time MVP June Mar Fajardo.
Even Converge and TNT, possible opponents of Ginebra deep into the playoffs, will also be difficult to overcome.
“You look at NLEX, and the way they are playing under Coach Jimmy, and of course, San Miguel with June Mar, you have the returning RHJ, it seems like Talk ‘N Text got all their players back and they look very scary.
"And then you have Converge playing at a high level, their coach (Djordje Jovicic) has come in and made some changes, they have a tremendously talented core of players.”
“(It’s) pick your poison over there,” Cone said. “So it really doesn’t matter whether you’re one, two, three, or four in our side, you’re going to have a tough opponent on the other.”
Everything, however, won't matter if Ginebra loses by 24 points or more to Blackwater as the Gin Kings would be eliminated - and idle Meralco would end up getting the last ticket to the playoffs.
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