BARANGAY Ginebra coach Tim Cone said they will prepare for Game Five as if Bobby Ray Parks and Jayson Castro will see action in the critical match for TNT in the PBA Philippine Cup finals.
The Gin Kings are facing the prospect of going up against a shorthanded Tropang Giga squad with the status of Parks still uncertain following a calf injury that got aggravated in Game One.
Making matters worse for TNT is the possible absence of Castro, who got hurt in Game Four on Sunday following an attack to the basket in the third quarter. TNT said Castro’s injury is due to bone spurs in his right knee.
Cone, however, said Ginebra will be preparing for a possible close-out game as if Parks and Castro will play inside the Smart Clark Giga City bubble.
“When you win, you want to win with the best obviously,” Cone said. “But right now, I just think that we will just try to go out and whoever shows up, we are going to go out and play.”
“That’s two big losses for them but I know Bobby Ray was supposed to be close to coming back and Jayson is a warrior. He will find a way he possibly can. We are going to assume that they are both going to play on Wednesday.”
Cone said the possible absence of the two doesn’t mean that Ginebra will be having an easier time to finish off TNT in Game 5, set to be held on Wednesday. Proof of that is how the Gin Kings still had to earn their way to victory on Sunday when RR Pogoy exploded with his three-pointers late in a losing effort.
But Cone also admitted missing Parks and Castro in a big game like on Wednesday night is such a big blow to TNT’s title hopes.
“I don’t know what Jayson’s status is and Bobby Ray’s but they are down a couple of really, really key players. That will be like us losing Scottie and Stanley. Something like that. And how difficult it would be to win for us without Scottie and Stanley. That’s how I look at it,” said Cone.
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