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February 11, 2025 | 12:00am
Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone deployed eight players in Games One and Two of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals against Meralco then added Ralph Cu to the rotation in Game Three. Despite the lack of depth, Cone found a way to repulse the Bolts, 2-1, but how far can Ginebra go in a war of attrition with both the semis and finals a best-of-seven grind?
The PBA takes a 16-day break to give way to Gilas’ campaign in the third FIBA Asia Cup qualifying window but five Ginebra players won’t benefit from the respite. Justin Brownlee, Jamie Malonzo, Scottie Thompson and if cleared by PTs, Troy Rosario will leave for Doha on Thursday with Gilas booked to play in a pocket tournament against the national teams of Qatar, Lebanon and Egypt on Feb. 14-16. Then, the national squad returns home but it won’t be a long rest. Japeth Aguilar will join Gilas when the team flies to Taiwan to face Chinese-Taipei on Feb. 20 and Auckland to meet New Zealand on Feb. 23. Gilas has qualified for the FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 5-17 but Cone isn’t the type to tank. A 6-0 record in the three qualifying windows will be a huge psychological boost for Gilas in Jeddah and a scare for any team that crosses its path.
Ginebra’s predicament is the semis will begin on Feb. 26, three days after the New Zealand encounter and it won’t be enough rest for Brownlee, Aguilar, Rosario, Malonzo and Thompson. Cone has reactivated Jeremiah Gray but it remains to be seen when he can actually hit the floor again with the same flair as before his injury.
The semis schedule will feature games on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Ginebra takes on NorthPort in one pairing while TNT engages Rain or Shine in the other. If either series extends to a Game Seven, the semis will end on March 12. Smart Araneta Coliseum and PhilSports Arena will take turns hosting the semis. The finals reel off on March 14 and if the duel goes to a Game Seven, it will finish on March 28.
Will it be another confrontation between Cone and TNT coach Chot Reyes in the finals? They squared off in the previous conference where TNT beat Ginebra, 4-2, for the Governors› Cup title. The Tropa has won two of the last four conferences and is on a roll with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Ginebra’s last championship came in the 2022-23 Commissioner’s Cup.
NorthPort has never bagged a title. In the elims, the Batang Pier upset Ginebra, 119-116, enroute to compiling a league-best 9-3 record. TNT has won three of its last four but the loss in that stretch was to Rain or Shine. It’s been 19 conferences since the Elasto Painters won a PBA crown, back in the 2016 Commissioner’s Cup. Coach Yeng Guiao has found an import who won’t back down from anyone and plays within his system. ROS sent Converge packing in the quarters despite a lower seeding and it took back-to-back knockout wins to get it done. Deon Thompson scored a conference-high 34 points in the clincher but his seven assists were more impressive.
