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BARANGAY Geneva San Miguel made it 2-0 over TNT Katropa in the Philippine Basketball Association’s Philippine Cup Finals series on Wednesday night, but Gin Kings head coach Tim Cone did not hate to himself for that victory.
Isn’t it ironic?
“I sound like a scratched record, but again, we’re thankful for the win, but we’re not happy,” Cone told BusinessMirror in a text message Thursday, the morning after their 92-90 win that kept them undefeated in the race. . -a-four series.
“We were trained and pushed for the most part. But I don’t want to take anything away from our guys who persevered and found a way to win, ”Cone said.
Cone even praised Roger Pogoy for filling the void left by Bobby Ray Parks Jr., who is recovering from a left calf strain he suffered in Game One. Pogoy had 38 points in the second game.
And the league’s most successful coach wants his team to play Game 3 scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday even more prepared.
“We know that we have to find the best of ourselves to keep winning games in this series,” he said. “Otherwise the tide could turn very quickly.”
Aljon Mariano snuck into an explosive game when Katropa looked elsewhere to double the defense in Game Two, and so did Stanley Pringle, though he usually does.
Mariano finished with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds in that second game. But he is aware that they need two more victories before he can celebrate.
“We haven’t tried anything yet and we haven’t won the series yet,” Mariano said. “Tomorrow we will shoot for 3-0 [Friday]-one game at a time. It’s a run to four, ”said the former Santo Tomas University star, who had just six points in his 100-94 overtime win in Game One last Sunday.
Mariano took over when the usual suspects – Japeth Aguilar, LA Tenorio and Earl Scottie Thompson – nearly went bust and combined for a measly 14 points in Game 2, in which Geneva overcame a 15-point deficit.
“It’s just a conscious effort on my part,” Mariano said. “I hope TNT comes out aggressive tomorrow and I want to be more aggressive so I really need to work harder.”
Pringle stayed in his elements and had 34 points, six rebounds and eight assists.
TNT coach Ferdinand “Bong” Ravena, meanwhile, remained optimistic.
“I think we have to protect our advantage until the end. We had a collapse on defense, so we have to figure this out, ”Ravena said, noting that the 6-foot-4 Parks is still doubtful for Game 3. “We just have to pray too. I know we can still do it. “
