The two top seeds of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup —and the twice-to-beat advantage they afford—are still very much up for grabs—and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel certainly has a legit shot at one of them. At the very least, the crowd darlings could hang on for any one of seeds 3 thru 6 and avoid the twice-to-beat disadvantage of being either the 7th or 8th seed after the eliminations.
Where Ginebra ends up will ultimately depend on how they fare in their next three assignments: TNT Tropang Giga on January 17, Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on January 21, and Meralco Bolts on January 29. That’s a gauntlet to say the least, with TNT besting Ginebra in the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals last conference and Meralco a perennial nemesis. Even Rain or Shine is fast rising as a contender.
Ginebra Looks for Consistency as Playoffs Draw Near
Tim Cone of all people knows the tough grind ahead his team is facing—and that’s why he is super thankful Ginebra took care of business against the Blackwater Bossing on Sunday.
“We’ve got a tough schedule, Talk n Text, Meralco, and Rain or Shine. This was a really important game for us to take care of because we don’t wanna put the pressure on us having to sweep those three games just to get to the playoffs. Those teams are too good, [so] no margin for error,” Cone said after the Blackwater game.
But what exactly will it take for Ginebra to finish strong ahead of the playoffs?
“It’s really about consistency,” Cone told reporters. “Consistent effort, consistent focus. We just haven’t been showing that throughout this whole conference. It’s a long season… It’s hard to keep that intensity up all the time. But as the playoffs come closer, I expect our guys to become more consistent and to lock in a little bit more.”
Indeed, Justin Brownlee and company tend to raise their game in the leadup to the playoffs and in the postseason in general. And they will look to do the same starting with their much-anticipated matchup with TNT on Friday.
