VIRTUAL PLAYOFF TIFF

VIRTUAL PLAYOFF TIFF




Published on July 14, 2012

Barangay Ginebra and B-Meg dispute an outright playoff shot at the finals in a key match in the
third to the last play date of the PBA Governors Cup semifinal round at the Smart Araneta Coliseum
Sunday.

It’s the penultimate game for both teams in the semis with the winner notching the crucial win No.
9 in the season-ending tourney.

The Kings and the Llamados, semifinal protagonists in the Commissioner’s Cup, slug it out in a
virtual playoff tiff at 6:30 p.m.

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters were the first to get victory No. 9 that assured them of an
automatic playoff for a finals entry.

The Llamados missed their first shot at it versus the Meralco Bolts Friday night. Coach Tim Cone,
however, is hopeful they will bounce back strong against Ginebra.

“That Meralco loss was painful, but it didn’t kill us or our chances, and what doesn’t kill
you makes you stronger,” said Cone.

The Kings intend to step up while anticipating the Llamados to wage an all-out battle.

“We have to pick up our intensity and play a notch higher because B-Meg would for sure be raring
to come back strong after their loss the last time out,” said Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen.

The Llamados blew a chance to tie the Elasto Painters on the lead and instead slid to joint second
place with the Kings following a heart-rending 101-104 loss to the Bolts.

“It would have been nice to get that game against Meralco which would have put us a game ahead of
Ginebra and taken some pressure off the game for us,” said Cone.

Nonetheless, Cone is optimistic they can recover and go all the way to have a shot at back-to-back
championships.

B-Meg, the second conference champ, fought back from the depths of 19-point deficits in stunning
Petron, 104-93, Wednesday. The Llamados narrowly missed the same feat versus the Bolts two nights
later.

With that B-Meg loss, Ginebra is left as the hottest team, setting out for Sunday’s match riding
the crest of a four-game roll.

From joint third at the end of the elims, the Kings have rallied to second in winning all their
first three games in the semis versus the Meralco Bolts, the Petron Blaze Boosters and the Rain or
Shine Elasto Painters.

Ginebra tightened up the fight for the finals with a key 95-86 win over Rain or Shine Thursday
night.

“I’m so thankful for this win. Honestly, I don’t know how many wins more do we need. But
we’ll not think about that. We’ll just stay focused on what’s ahead of us. We’ll prepare
hard against B-Meg,” said Tanquingcen moments after their win over the Elasto Painters. (SB)