Tim Cone and his Barangay Ginebra San Miguel are taking things one day at a time, one game at a time. And their next matchup figures to give the crowd darlings quite a challenge as they will be taking on the no. 1 team in the standings in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup: the NorthPort Batang Pier.
But just how big of a challenge will NorthPort present?
Cone just happens to view NorthPort as “a completely different animal” from the teams Ginebra has faced so far this conference.
“NorthPort is a completely different animal,” Cone admitted in the postgame presser after Ginebra beat the San Miguel Beermen on Sunday. “They play completely differently. They’re much more rounded in terms of size and they switch a lot on defense. We’ll have to spend the next couple of days really delving into the video and figuring out how to play them.”
One player that is sure to give Ginebra headaches is former ka-barangay Arvin Tolentino, a 6-foot-5 wing who embodies that size Cone alluded to. Tolentino is averaging 24.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.1 block shots and will likely be out to prove something to his former team.
Help Could Be on the Way for Ginebra
Ginebra no doubt will need a full deck to counter NorthPort’s size and versatility, and they just might get it. Jamie Malonzo, the barangay’s 6-foot-7 dynamo, was activated by the team prior to their game against San Miguel. However, Cone decided to put off Malonzo’s return, saying he’s not in game shape yet.
With two more practices under his belt, the high-flying Gilas mainstay might just be ready for his PBA Commissioner’s Cup debut.
“It depends on how he practices the next two days. He’s healthy and he’s ready to go, but he’s not in the proper true game shape yet, he’s not in the proper rhythm to play,” Cone said in the same presser. “It could be any game. But right now, he is healthy and he’s cleared by the trainers. Now it’s about getting into game shape for him. We don’t want him to go in and not be in shape and risk injury again…”
Ready or not, Cone sure could use someone of Malonzo’s caliber to help Ginebra neutralize the animal that is NorthPort.
Game time is at 7:30 p.m. later tonight at PhilSports Arena.
