Jamie Malonzo (number 3) gives Ginebra a glimpse into its future. — PBA . IMAGES
Barangay Ginebra has done what other teams haven’t been able to do 13 times before: Beat the Bay Area Dragons in the Philippines.
In doing so, coach Tim Cone took a look at the future of his Gin Kings.
Indeed it was a special Sunday night for the Philippines Basketball Association’s (PBA) most popular football club. Unless you ask Cone.
“I don’t think we’ve done anything special,” Cone said after Gin Kings’ 111-93 win at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City, which resulted in the Dragons losing their first game in the Commissioner’s Cup.
It was also the Dragons’ first loss in the Philippines after winning 13 games – a mix of exhibition and official matches – against multiple teams: Pro, amateur and co.
What the kings did, Cone said, was approach the game differently. Just three games into the mid-season conference, Cone and the Kings took to the field as if they were playing for the trophy.
“I think our intensity is sky-high and that’s the key to playing them,” Cone said. “It was like a Final for us, it really happened. I had that feeling during the day and we were very motivated. “
Ginebra used a large third quarter raised behind Justin Brownlee filming the hot scene to get out of a first half airfight. Jamie Malonzo’s all-round performance also proved crucial in the highly anticipated showdown, which may have debunked the myth that the championship would have to go through the Bay Area.
But while there’s a reason why the Dragons entered the mid-season tournament with the possibility of returning to Hong Kong with a trophy, there were also signs early in the tournament about problems in their armor. Bay Area.
Dragons coach Brian Goorjian, the Dragons players won all nine of their adjusted matches before opening the Com Member’s Cup with four straight wins. But the Dragons were somewhat exposed in two of those victories.
It took three defeats by entering Myles Powell for the Dragons to escape defeat against NorthPort Batang Pier. And before the Ginebra game kicked in, the Bay Area took a slim 23-point lead to four before holding Converge FiberXers to six.
Another great power
Somehow, the Dragons have lost. And to recover, the Bay Area will have to experience another powerhouse in June Mar Fajardo and San Miguel Beermen.
While the Bay Area will spend the next few days trying to figure out how to turn the tide, Ginebra hopes to build confidence that has risen a notch.
They hope to add Malonzo, who brought in 17 points and six rebounds for the Gin Kings, to the team’s system and culture, and help rookie Jeremiah Gray get back into rhythm after a long recovery from injury. anterior cruciate ligament injury. The second overall pick, obtained from Terrafirma Dyip, scored five points in limited action.
“This is basically the new Ginebra in many ways,” he said. “Jamie and Jeremiah, they have a lot of sporting aptitude for what we do and I think they will be really interesting for the games as we go forward.
“They are still learning about us, they are still learning about their teammates, they are still learning about them, so we expect them to improve. This is a glimpse of how we might become if we were leading our game. We were definitely at the top of the game today. “
Continue reading
Register INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer and more than 70 other titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to news, download as early as 4am and share media articles society. Call 896 6000.
For feedback, complaints or enquiries, Contact us.
