MANILA, Philippines – Tim Cone and the Barangay Ginebra Kings are expecting to see a focused, determined Meralco team when the 2016 PBA Governor's Cup Finals resumes with Game 6 on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Gin Kings won Game 5, 92-81, on Sunday, putting them just one win away of ending an eight-year title drought. But Cone, who has won a league-best 18 championships, knows that closing out a series is "the hardest thing to do."
What makes the task doubly hard, he said, is that Ginebra is playing against "a great team" like Meralco.
"There is no doubt that Meralco is a great team… Their backs are to the wall. They're a great team with their backs to the wall," he said after their Game 5 victory. "It's one thing if you're playing a lesser team and they had their backs to the wall, you can kind of overcome them."
"But a great team with their backs to the wall – it's really hard to beat," he said. "They're gonna be totally focused and concentrated, and we're just gonna see if we can meet their intensity."
Cone's players share his apprehension even as they relish the fact that they are just one game away from winning a championship.
"They've got their backs against the wall," said Sol Mercado, who drained a huge three-pointer in the final two minutes to help Ginebra keep Meralco at bay. "They're probably gonna bring their best game and play everything they've got."
"We gotta play our next game as if it's our Game 7," he declared. "There's no other game. Hopefully, we'll come in and play with that kind of energy."
Rookie Scottie Thompson, whose dagger triple with 44 seconds left secured the win, echoed his veteran. "Hindi ganoon kadali," he said. "Sobrang hirap pa."
"Ready sila sa pinapakita namin, and maga-adjust sila. So ready lang kami, and si Coach Tim, wino-work out ang adjustments and kung ano pa ang pwede gawin," he added.
Cone, who has been in too many playoff battles to count, has no doubt that they are in for a war come Wednesday and understands that it may not work out the way they want to.
"I've been on the other side of this so many times," he said. "We're certainly not looking to a Game 7, but we know how hard Game 6 is gonna be."
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