THE loss was definitely an ugly sight, but it was a good thing it happened this early in Barangay Ginebra’s campaign for back-to-back PBA Governors Cup titles.
LA Tenorio admitted the Kings were not up to par with rival Magnolia in their Dec. 25 showdown at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in a highly-anticipated meeting which turned out to be a Christmas Day massacre following the Hotshots’ 117-94 victory.
The Kings were badly outplayed from the get go that the Hotshots already sat at a comfortable 19-point spread at the halfm, and a Ginebra comeback never materialized.
The lead was at its biggest at 31 points as Magnolia shot a sizzling 43 percent from three-point range and committed just a total of eight turnovers compared to the 18 of the defending champions.
“Parang one step, two steps slower kami. We really played bad,” said Tenorio, who finished with 11 points and five assists in the Kings’ first loss in four outings this conference.
“No excuses. We played really bad. Hindi namin nagawa what we’re supposed to do, and that’s not our game.”
Paul Lee and the Hotshots get a rare Christmas Day win over Ginebra.
If there’s one silver lining in the blowout loss, it’s the Kings getting a glimpse of how tough the road will be on their bid to retain their crown.
“Magnolia is one of the contenders for sure this conference,” Tenorio pointed out, adding it was an early wake up call for the Kings. “Ngayon alam na namin na it’s not really easy to beat the team na alam naming contender.”
The 37-year-old playmaker describes Magnolia as a ‘very confident team right now,’ after having beaten the defending champion to raise its record at 3-0.
“Good thing kahit paano may buffer kaming three games, hindi kami naghahabol,” added Tenorio. “Sayang lang we wanted to have a Christmas celebration after. Yun nga lang hindi nangyari.”
Despite the nine-day break, the Kings will continue practicing the rest of the holiday season, according to their acknowledged leader, with Barangay Ginebra not returning to the court until January 7 when it plays Blackwater.
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