KILLER INSTINCT
Be a cannibal.
That’s what coach Jeff Cariaso wants Barangay Ginebra to be or the character that the Kings coach wants his team to embrace and demonstrate.
To simply put it, Cariaso is motivating the Kings to push forward, playing with a killer instinct while enjoying a better chemistry and improved form.
The Kings go for a solid 5-1 win-loss card at the halfway mark of their elims stint in the PBA Philippine Cup in tangling with the Barako Bull Energy at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Cariaso calls on his team to come in with the same intensity, focus and mindset as in their last game, wary Barako is due for a win any time now.
“We need to make sure it’s not against us,” said Cariaso.
Barako Bull is off to a scrambling start under coach Coy Banal, dropping all its first four games in PBA Season 40.
The Kings won’t surely go wrong if they come out with the same attitude that they showed against the Purefoods Star Hotshots Sunday.
Purefoods Star honored two former great players with a retirement ceremony but Ginebra stole the moment, cruising to a coast-to-coast 89-66 win in what was expected to be a slam-bang game.
The Kings overwhelmed the Hotshots with a swashbuckling start and sustained a relentless near flawless game throughout in notching a second back-to-back wins in the tourney before a crowd of over 18,000.
They try to make it three in a row against the Barako Bull team, reeling with losses to Meralco, GlobalPort, San Miguel Beer and Rain or Shine.
“We’re intense from our practices and it carried over to the game. We’re really precise with our game plan,” said Cariaso after they spoiled the Purefoods party.
Before the game, Purefoods had a solemn ceremony to retire the jerseys of Codinera (44) and Evangelista (7) with the Hotshots coming out in retro Purefoods uniform.
But the Kings, in no time, seized the thunder, starting the game with a 10-0 attack and never turning back, allowing Cariaso to pull a first one over mentor Tim Cone. (SB)
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
