Tim Cone on Game 3 loss: ‘We were really tired mentally’

Tim Cone expressed his dismay at how Brgy. Ginebra buckled under pressure during the closing moments of Game 3 and allowed Meralco to take the game and regain control of the best-of-seven championship series in the 2021 PBA Governors’ Cup.

The Bolts are now up 2-1 going into pivotal Game 4 which is scheduled on Wednesday, April 13 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“We panicked down the stretch and we didn’t, obviously, hit shots,” said Cone shortly after the defending champs absorbed a 74-83 beating at the hands of the MVP-owned franchise.

“We were going for hero ball shots and not trying to get good shots. We got a little bit selfish. We weren’t moving the ball,” he added.

The league’s winningest mentor, however, admitted that fatigue was also a big factor as the crowd darlings withstood a spirited fightback from 20 points down by the Bolts just 2 nights ago.

“I think most of all, we just had tired legs. We were really tired mentally,” explained Cone.

“It took a lot to win Game 2, we just didn’t have enough to go down the stretch in Game 3. And I was worried about that from the beginning of the game,” he added.

The ‘tired’ Brgy. Ginebra squad only managed to score 74 points which is their lowest for the season. It is also the lowest for any team since Magnolia was held to 70 by TNT during Game 1 of the Philippine Cup Finals last October 20.

“We got a couple of days now, so we’ll see how it works,” stressed the former Alaska and Magnolia coach.