Barangay Ginebra San Miguel has, for the most part, been heavily reliant on its starting unit. But the crowd darlings are often at their best when their second stringers provide a spark.
That’s exactly what happened when Ginebra stunned the San Miguel Beermen, 104-95, in Game 1 of their PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals showdown on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The starters, of course, came out and set the tone, but the second unit sustained that fine play until the final whistle.
Isaac Go Leads Bench Mob
The biggest spark of the night was no doubt seldom-used big man Isaac Go, who contributed a conference-best 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting on top of 4 rebounds. He also played some strong defense on nine-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo, bodying up the 6-foot-10 center and denying him deep paint touches.
Ginebra also got solid outings from the ever-reliable Troy Rosario (8 points, 3 rebounds), the emerging Jeremiah Gray (6 points, 4 rebounds), and the always-dependable Ralph Cu (4 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists). Importantly, Go and company kept Ginebra’s level of play up, giving Scottie Thompson and the rest of the starters enough rest to go full tilt down the stretch.
Ginebra Needs Good Bench Play
Despite playing well, Ginebra’s second unit actually got outscored by San Miguel’s second stringers, 51-32. Then again, the Beermen’s bench also has Don Trollano and Jericho Cruz, both of whom would be starters on most other teams in the league.
Ginebra won’t mind, though, as long as Go and company can contribute solid minutes and at least match up with their San Miguel counterparts to a degree.
“Importante kasi ‘yung bench namin because in this game, ‘yung second unit ng San Miguel really gave us a lot of problems. And in our experience playing San Miguel, ‘yung second unit talaga nagbibigay sa amin ng problema…,” assistant coach Richard del Rosario noted after Ginebra’s Game 1 win. “They [San Miguel’s bench] continued to play well nung second half. So, we have to match up to that second unit also. Kaya kailangan talaga ng contribution from guys like Isaac, si Maih [Gray], and even si Ralph.”
So, no, Ginebra isn’t asking its bench to be prolific. It just needs enough contributions from everyone. Go and company better be ready.
Game 2 tips off at 5:15 p.m. later at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
