ALTHOUGH it's headed to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals at full strength, Barangay Ginebra is under no illusion that it can have its way against TNT.
Tim Cone acknowledged the return of Jamie Malonzo and Jeremiah Gray along with the arrival of big man Troy Rosario this conference came as a huge boost to bid to regain the title the Gin Kings last won in 2023.
READ Ginebra puts away NorthPort, arranges PBA Finals rematch vs TNT
But the Ginebra coach still considers the Tropang Giga a dangerous opponent even without injured leader Jayson Castro, who played a pivotal role when TNT defeated the league’s most popular ballclub for the Governors’ Cup crown last November.
“You saw what TNT did. They’re extremely … people don’t realize how good a coach Chot Reyes is. He’s an outstanding coach,” said Cone of his former top deputy. “They lost a key player (Jayson) and they just kept moving forward.”
The Tropang Giga advanced to the finals by beating the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in Game 5 on Wednesday, 97-92, for a 4-1 series win in the semifinals.
The Kings won their own semis series by the same margin after demolishing top seed Northport, 126-99, also on Friday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
While both Ginebra and TNT made short work of their respective series, Cone doesn’t see the same thing happening in the finals.
“They’re (Tropang Giga) playing with such togetherness and such effort, especially on the defensive side. They’re not skipping a beat," Cone said.
The tournament takes a one-week break before Game 1 of the finals is played on March 14 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
