Ginebra reset focus for semifinal duel vs Rain or Shine

Tim Cone expects the Kings to face a hard-fighting Painters in the semifinals. —PBA IMAGES

When Barangay Ginebra faced Rain or Shine in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup elimination round, the Gin Kings barely broke a sweat.

“We felt we had something to prove in that game against Rain or Shine in the eliminations. It’s a different feeling now, though,” coach Tim Cone said after his wards punched a ticket to the semifinals with a victory over Phoenix.

“We have to make sure that we stay neither too high nor too low at this point.”

As someone who has seen and accomplished everything in the PBA, Cone knows that once the playoffs begin, previous results no longer matter.

Naturally, he has chosen to forget Ginebra’s 114-90 rout of the Elasto Painters in the eliminations because it is now back to square one in a best-of-seven series.

Cone is also fully aware of how dangerous counterpart Yeng Guiao can be in a long series.

“I just know how hard it is to go up against Yeng,” he admitted.

“They play extremely hard and fast. They compete all the time. They can wear you down in a series because of their depth. There’s a lot of concern when you’re facing a team like that.”

According to league chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III, Ginebra won the last two playoff meetings against Rain or Shine. The most recent came in the quarterfinals of the 2020 Philippine Cup, while the other was during the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup.

Interestingly, the last time Guiao and the Elasto Painters defeated the Gin Kings in the playoffs, they also went on to beat San Miguel Beer in the semifinals of the 2016 Commissioner’s Cup.

War of attrition

Rain or Shine eventually captured the title of that conference, marking the last time an independent team won a PBA championship.

But Cone was quick to stress that past results mean little now.

All he knows is that Ginebra faces a war of attrition against Guiao and the Elasto Painters, who are coming off a quarterfinals upset of the mighty Beermen.

“I expect it to be a tough series.”

Game 1 of the semifinals between Cone and Guiao is set for Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo, serving as the nightcap to the TNT-Meralco opener at 5:15 p.m. INQ