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After being brought down by Calvin Abueva and the Fuel Masters, Ray Parks Jr. and the Tropang Giga hope to force a knockout match for a spot in the Finals. —PHOTOS COURTESY OF PBA IMAGES
A victory in Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday would mean tickets to the final dance for two squads. But for the other half of the semi-final cast, it’s a fighting opportunity that they will make the most of.
Barangay Geneva and Phoenix are about to reach the Finals of this extraordinary tournament, but both Tim Cone and Topex Robinson approach their respective duels with reserved optimism.
“We have to be more prepared this time,” the Gin Kings coach told reporters just after practice on Tuesday afternoon. “Physically both teams were able to recover with the extra day between games, but that also gave [the Bolts] another day to work on the adjustments. “
Geneva took a 2-1 lead after a 91-84 victory in Game 3 last Sunday, an accusation heard on national television: An interlocutor called a referee over what he deemed a rigged game.
Phoenix, meanwhile, edged closer to a win of the franchise’s first appearance in the Finals after a 92-89 win also on Sunday and, for a possible deal breaker, the Fuel Masters have stopped talking about slaying dragons.
“As for us, we don’t [playing] TNT, ”Robinson told the Inquirer. “We still have a lot of work to do and that’s all we have control of.”
“We don’t want to think too much about [the game] since what has worked for us is to think about staying here longer, “added Robinson.
Just two games earlier, Robinson had spoken of TNT as a dragon in front of his squad that the Fuel Masters have to deal with.
But with Phoenix – and Geneva for that matter – just one misstep away from a dangerous knockout fight in which anything can happen, a change in perspective would be welcome.
Geneva, in fact, has a recent memory to remind the team how expensive it would pay if it were limited to making the arrangements against a wounded side of Meralco.
The Gin Kings, who have made Meralco their favorite hitters in the Governor’s Cup, were on the hard end of a beating in Game 2 95-77 after manhandling the Bolts in Game 1.
“We have to make sure we don’t repeat Game 2,” Cone said.
Chris Newsome and the Bolts are trying to bounce back after a Game 3 loss to Joe Devance and the Kings.
It’s the same for Meralco coach Norman Black, except he doesn’t want any holdovers from the Bolts’ performance in a different game.
“We have to play a lot better than we did the last game, offensively and defensively,” Black said.
“There is not much to say. You have to win the game. It’s that simple, ”added the Bolts coach during a chance meeting with reporters in the hotel lobby.
Phoenix, who might have booked a spot in the Finals by now if it weren’t for the key breaks that went against him in the 95-92 Game 1 loss, understands that bad things happen when players start looking outside of themselves. .
“Every time we’re so focused on the other team, we tend not to get favorable results,” Robinson said, alluding to the loss in which the Fuel Masters lost Matthew Wright to a sprained ankle midway through the first period and Calvin Abueva. played on a limited basis. minutes due to foul problems.
Also, no amount of looking at the other team will diminish TNT’s talent. With a core that includes national team standouts Ray Parks Jr., RR Pogoy, Jayson Castro, Troy Rosario and Poy Erram, the Tropang Giga knows they can easily crush their opponents.
“All we have to do is play harder, smarter. Past games have allowed us to win. While we were behind most of the time, we were still able to catch up. In fact, we were able to take the lead at some point, ”TNT coach Bong Ravena said in Filipino. INQ
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