Gin Kings eye quick bounce back

Brgy. Ginebra was left reeling after their recent defeat in “Manila Clasico”.

Despite leading by 26 points, the Gin Kings suffered an unexpected meltdown, and their attempts to recover were thwarted by Magnolia’s endgame tactics, resulting in a 93-91 loss in the elimination round of the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup.

The defending champions now face the challenge of moving on from this setback and regaining their momentum. Tim Cone’s charges (1-1) will attempt to do just that in their upcoming game against Rain or Shine (0-3) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“We’ve got to move forward from it. It’s early in the season. We’re not going to feel too bad about it,” said Cone ahead of their 8:00pm encounter on Friday.

“Let’s just move on, learn a few things from it. We played out of character in that second half so we got to get back into character,” he added.

In the first 24 minutes, the Gin Kings dominated the Hotshots, taking a commanding 51-25 lead before settling for a 60-35 advantage at the halftime break.

However, the Hotshots turned the tables in the second half with a 58-31 run. With Magnolia holding a slim 92-91 lead, Brgy. Ginebra attempted to take the lead through Scottie Thompson, who was clearly fouled by Marc Barroca, but the referees did not see it that way, leading to a strong reaction from the crowd darlings.

The PBA later admitted that Barroca should have been called for a foul, and the entire officiating crew was suspended. Despite this, Coach Cone believes that had the Gin Kings maintained their strong performance throughout the game, it would not have come down to the wire.