Cone remains wary as Gin Kings gun for clincher vs Painters

Justin Brownlee (with ball) and Ginebra hope to book their Finals ticket on Saturday. —MARLO CUETO

Tim Cone is fully aware that recent history is not on his and Barangay Ginebra’s side as they try to finish off Rain or Shine in their emotional PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series.

Game 6 tips off at 5:15 p.m. on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, with the Gin Kings needing just one more win to get back to the Finals.

Ginebra gained a 3-2 lead two nights ago with a 111-104 victory behind a terrific shooting display led by RJ Abarrientos, but Cone refused to get comfortable with the advantage.

“We’ve been in this situation a couple of times in a best of seven,” Cone said. “We led 3-2 and then got beaten both times.”

Cone and the Gin Kings squandered that edge twice of the last three times he was in that position: First in the 2024 Philippine Cup semifinals against the rival Meralco Bolts and in the 2024-25 Commissioner’s Cup Finals against TNT.

Speaking of TNT, it will also seek a place in the championship round at 7:30 p.m. against Meralco.

The only time in that period Ginebra got the job done was during the 2024 Governors’ Cup semifinals against sister team San Miguel Beer.

Also attached to Cone’s decorated career is a similar blown chance back in the 2008-09 Philippine Cup Finals with Alaska against TNT.

That’s why Cone refuses to have any sense of confidence that Ginebra has put Rain or Shine in a difficult situation.

“It’s too easy to get euphoric with a 3-2 lead and think ‘Oh, you’re right there.’ You’re not,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. A lot of things went our way [in Game 5], which is great. I mean, we’re fortunate.

“But we’ve got to move on and be locked in,” he added.

There’s a lot of drama going on in the series, adding to the interest in the showdown between two teams, which have engaged each other in verbal spats and heated exchanges.

After the fireworks between Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao and San Miguel Corporation sports director Alfrancis Chua, tensions continued at the end of Game 5 when Elasto Painters import Jaylen Johnson got into Ginebra team manager Reyboy Rodriguez and hardly used center Raymond Aguilar.

Abarrientos played a huge role for the Gin Kings with 31 points, after he was held in check in Game 4 and scored just eight on 3-of-8 from the field.

The frontrunner for the Best Player of the Conference went 12-of-21 from the field with four three pointers and made his only attempt from four. He also dished out eight assists and stole the ball twice.

“The coaches told me that I need to work on everything,” the sophomore said. “Rain or Shine’s just denying me, bumping me all the time. So I just need to work on the things that I need so I can get open and be involved on both offense and defense.” INQ