Barangay Ginebra San Miguel started 1–3 in the PBA Philippine Cup and dropped to 2–4 after a 106–96 defeat to the Converge FiberXers—the same team the crowd darlings beat on Sunday in dramatic fashion to secure a semis seat. And for the game’s hero, Stephen Holt, that win is further proof that Ginebra is finally at its best after its early struggles.
It turns out a big part of this late-conference resurgence has been that fabled never-say-die spirit coming alive again.
“I mean, again, we always preach that the eliminations are always preparation for the playoffs…. I feel like within our locker room, we have a lot of confidence within the group. And we’re finally playing the best basketball, I feel like, of the season. Even though some games are close, sometimes it’s ugly,” Holt told reporters after his buzzer-beating trey gave Ginebra the victory over Converge. “I think you guys can see the last three, four games, we don’t quit. And I think that’s the most important thing about this group.”
Never-Say-Die Ginebra Rallies Past Converge
Incidentally, Ginebra only got matched up against Converge when it rallied from 16 points down to beat the Titan Ultra Giant Risers in the two teams’ final game in the eliminations. It was a taste of the crowd darlings busting out their famed mantra of never say die, and it proved to be an omen of things to come.
Against Converge on Sunday, Ginebra’s semis aspirations looked dead in the water twice. But each time, the team rose to the occasion and rallied, culminating in Holt’s dramatic game-winner in OT.
It was a hard-earned win, Holt later emphasized, as he gave credit to Converge for being a great adversary. Now, a team playing its best basketball will need to find a way to play even better, as its next challenge might be the most formidable of all: the San Miguel Beermen.
