Barangay Ginebra San Miguel lacked discipline.
That’s Tim Cone’s blunt assessment of why the crowd darlings lost Game 1 of their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semis showdown with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
The numbers appear to bear him out.
Ginebra surrendered 115 points to Rain or Shine—18 more than the 97 they usually concede. The No. 2 seed also turned the ball over 14 times and gave up 15 points on the break. The crowd darlings even allowed the Elasto Painters to snare 21 offensive rebounds—7 from Jaylen Johnson alone.
Cone Gives Rain or Shine Credit
While Cone admitted Ginebra shot itself in the foot, he nonetheless credited the Elasto Painters for coming through when the game was on the line.
“They hit the bigger shots, and we played their game tonight. And we didn’t have much discipline,” Cone admitted to reporters after Game 1. “If we continue to play like that, we’re not gonna win many games in this series.”
Clearly, Cone wasn’t pleased with Ginebra’s effort in the series opener. And why should he be? Multiple times the crowd darlings had the chance to seize control, and each time they let Rain or Shine back in—whether with a turnover, a missed assignment on defence, a poor shot, or an offensive rebound surrendered.
For instance, Ginebra were up, 107-102, with less than three minutes remaining and were essentially a stop and a basket away from sealing the deal in Game 1. Instead, Troy Rosario allowed a red-hot Johnson to fire away an uncontested four-pointer. He drilled it, and suddenly it was 107-106. Justin Brownlee then turned the ball over and committed an offensive foul with Ginebra in penalty. Adrian Nocum hit both free throws to give Rain or Shine back the lead—and it was one Yeng Guiao’s boys would never relinquish.
Ginebra Searching for Answers
Now, Ginebra are behind the proverbial eight ball, and it could snowball into something worse if Brownlee and company don’t play the Cone brand of basketball—tough, precise, disciplined. That much he emphasised.
“We gotta be tougher, we gotta be better, we gotta be more disciplined,” he said. “They made the bigger shots and made the bigger plays down the stretch. We gotta be better locked in next time.”
Next time is Friday, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
