Barangay Ginebra San Miguel coach Tim Cone is hoping that the longer lull will benefit his team going into the all-important Game 4 of the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals slated Wednesday, April 13 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Gin Kings fell behind 2-1 in the best-of-seven series after an 83-74 loss last Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena, a result that frustrated Cone who felt that his players panicked during the crucial moments of the match.
Ginebra also squandered a 13-point second quarter lead as Meralco leaned on a strong defensive effort and timely offensive plays to take the win.
“We were disappointed with Game 3. We had our chances, but they were just tougher and better down the stretch,” Cone said on the eve of the crucial affair.
“We’re hoping the extra day between games allows us to get over the disappointment and we can get our focus on Game 4. Needless to say, we don’t want to fall too deeply into a hole. It’s must-win,” he added.
Falling to a 3-1 deficit would put Ginebra in a dangerous territory, even if its Ginebra predecessors from the 1991 First Conference were able to come back and beat Shell for the crown.
Ginebra was also down 2-1 during its first finals meeting with Meralco in the 2016 Governors’ Cup, winning the next three games to claim the championship that ended with Justin Brownlee three at the buzzer in the Game 6 clincher.