BARANGAY Ginebra didn’t play like the PBA Governors Cup champion that it is.
Coach Tim Cone admitted the Kings panicked at the height of Meralco’s furious run in the fourth period that propelled the Bolts to an 83-74 win in Game 3 on Sunday night.
The Kings uncharacteristically cracked down at crunch time and began taking hurried shots, according to Cone.
“We panicked down the stretch and we obviously didn’t hit shots,” said the Ginebra coach. “We got a little bit selfish and we’re not moving the ball.”
At the same time, Cone thought winning Game 2 where the Kings had to turn back a huge Meralco rally from 20-points down took a toll on the team physically and mentally.
He said the reigning champions obviously had tired legs.
“It took a lot to win Game 2, we just didn’t have enough down the stretch in Game 3. And I worried about that from the beginning of the game,” said Cone.
The Kings got off to a fast start and led by as many 43-30, before settling for an eight-point lead at the half.
Kings fizzle out
But they suddenly fizzled out in the second half when the Bolts made their way back, and had no answer to every Meralco clutch baskets in the homestretch.
Game 4 of the series which the Bolts now lead, 2-1, won’t be played until Wednesday, and Cone said the two-day break in between is a welcome one for the weary Kings.
“We got a couple of days now, so we’ll see how it works,” he said.
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