FRONT-RUNNING KINGS EYE REVENGE
The last time Barangay Ginebra San Miguel lost, it was almost a month ago – December 3 to be exact – when the Meralco Bolts pulled off a shocking 100-87 rout over the crowd favorites.
Jared Dillinger was all over the place, Mike Cortez found the open man every single time, and Rabeh Al-Hussaini surprisingly outworked his taller counterparts. All three finished with double-doubles.
And don’t forget Gary David and John Wilson, who fired cannons in that game to finish in double-digits.
“If you want to compete against a taller, longer team, you’ve got to play quicker. I think we were able to do that tonight,” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio after the game.
“It should be a wake up call for us,” said Ginebra guard LA Tenorio.
And it was for the Kings.
Ginebra has scored five straight wins after that setback, the latest one a Christmas night conquest of Petron Blaze, 97-83, to grab the solo top spot in the 2014 PLDT myDSL PBA Philippine Cup at 8-1.
And come 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena, Ginebra will look to exact revenge against the Bolts, who are currently on a three-game funk and mired at seventh spot at 3-6 alongside Alaska and Barako Bull.
For the Bolts, they want nothing better than to bounce back on track and end the year with a victory after dropping their last three games, with Barako Bull the last team to deal Meralco a loss (99-86) last Sunday.
But for the league leaders, they want to keep their momentum going as 2014 nears.
“Kami na yung leader but still we have four games. May mangyayari pa. Kailangan pa naming manalo sa coming games at doon pa lang kami makakapagpahinga,” said Ginebra coach Ato Agustin.
Agustin has constantly told his players to keep their eyes on their next assignment, something echoed by their starting point guard Tenorio.
“Tinalo nila kami when we first met kaya you could say na we’re kind of looking for redemption,” he said. “Pero para sa amin, its just one game at a time. We’re looking to be 9-1 na muna before anything else.” (RL)
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