Barangay Ginebra San Miguel lost its PBA Governors’ Cup opener to the Phoenix Fuel Masters on Sunday, and it was mostly due to Ricci Rivero and company playing well. But it was also due to Ginebra getting very little from its starters, notably RJ Abarrientos and Troy Rosario.
Abarrientos, the Commissioner’s Cup Best Player of the Conference, finished with a measly 8 points on 3-for-16 shooting—far from his usual numbers last conference. Rosario, on the other hand, put up just 4 points and 6 rebounds in only 22 minutes of action.
Tim Cone Gives His Two Stars a Pass
Afterward, Ginebra coach Tim Cone gave insight into the possible reason Abarrientos struggled and why Rosario played just 22 minutes even without foul trouble.
“RJ and Troy only had three practices with us before we played tonight. I came back with only three practices,” Cone pointed out.
Cone, Rosario, and Abarrientos were part of the Gilas Pilipinas squad that competed against New Zealand and Australia in the third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers. Before that, they were leading characters in Ginebra’s epic—and no doubt grueling—seven-game championship series against the TNT Tropang 5G.
Needless to say, Cone, Rosario, and Abarrientos—most especially—have had a hectic and taxing last couple of months.
Tim Cone Lauds the Bench
Without Abarrientos’ prolific scoring and Rosario’s contributions, Ginebra had to look elsewhere for help, and the team’s second stringers delivered—albeit in too-late fashion.
Down double digits for most of the game, Ginebra rallied in the final minutes to get within a basket of Phoenix. And they would’ve completed the comeback had Jeremiah Gray’s last-gasp four-pointer not veered left.
Gray was part of Ginebra’s closing five along with veteran Nards Pinto and rookie John Abis, and together they pumped life into what was an otherwise lackadaisical effort from the crowd darlings. In all, they combined for 20 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, and 8 steals in a spirited NSD effort that surely got Cone’s attention.
“I think our bench played so much better than our starters,” said Cone, who didn’t witness the conclusion of that comeback as he was ejected with still a minute left.
Tim Cone certainly didn’t hide his frustration, describing the game against Phoenix as “a difficult night altogether.” But after the inspired play of the bench and Riley Grigsby’s stellar debut, maybe Ginebra can turn things around quickly.
They’ll get their chance on Friday when they take on the Blackwater Bossing.
