THERE are just a few occasions where 19-time PBA champion Tim Cone struggles to find answers to his opponents.
Such was the case against San Miguel.
Ranged against a Beermen side that had few holes in its game, Ginebra struggled to keep up as they succumbed in five games in the 2017 PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
From finding ways to stop June Mar Fajardo or limiting San Miguel's shooters, Ginebra never really had the answer as San Miguel claimed a third successive all-Filipino title - and the Perpetual Trophy that goes with it.
For Cone, the Beermen were just simply too strong to handle.
"We didn't have any answers for them. We tried to slow the game down. We tried different ways but we just couldnt find a way to consistently give them problems," Cone said.
"They're a great shooting team, June Mar is a great equalizer coz you spend so much time giving attention to him and you lose the shooters. We tried to do both and couldn't get either. That's the problem," he added.
[See SMB completes title hat-trick after holding off Ginebra in Game Five]
Cone, however, can find solace in the fact that the Gin Kings have gone as far as the finals as the No. 7 seeds at the end of the eliminations while playing without injured big man Greg Slaughter - the one man in its lineup who can stand toe-to-toe with Fajardo.
"There's so much to be proud about but it's hard to be proud after a loss. Wait 24 hours. Talk to me again, I'll be really happy with what we did. It's just hard to react right now," Cone said.
But at the end of the day, Cone just tipped his hat off to his foes, particularly coach Leo Austria for playing his cards right during the playoffs.
"They just overwhelmed us. They have a special core on that team. Coach Leo has them playing really well. He has a good feel of when to put them in, when to rest them. And they're gonna be good for a long time."