BARANGAY Ginebra coach Tim Cone’s desire to set the tone on defense early was the main reason why he opted to go with LA Tenorio as a starter for Game Three of the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals against TNT.
The 40-year-old Tenorio started for the first time in a while with Ginebra looking to avoid falling into a 0-3 deficit. The gambit worked as the Gin Kings captain provided the spark in an 85-73 victory - their first in the series.
READ Ginebra comes back to life on 'Undas' with Game 3 win over TNT
Cone said Tenorio fits the bill as someone who can bring the defense mindset to Ginebra early, something that he said was sorely lacking in the first two games.
“First of all, we have a style of play that we wanted to come out with that he was very comfortable with that we’ve done in the past and play like that, try to get back to a little bit of our old identity being a defensive team first,” said Cone.
Set the tone on defense he did as Tenorio registered four steals in 16 minutes, the most playing time that he had in his five games in this conference’s playoffs.
“He understood that. We want to set that tempo from the beginning of the game. That was the primary,” said Cone.
By bringing in Tenorio as a starter, Cone said it would make the other guards fresh for he expected to be a grind-out Game Three.
“Secondary was we felt that if LA can get out and play 12, 15, 18 minutes, then that would extend our rotation a little bit and we will have a longer rotation and give it a little bit more rest for the guys,” said Cone.
Aside from defense, the Ginebra veteran also provided offense and scored nine points and went a perfect 4-for-4 from two-point distance.
“He made some really key baskets and got a couple of steals. But most importantly, he played the game the way we wanted to play it and the tempo that we really wanted to set. That was really crucial,” said Cone.
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.
