Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone is refusing to dwell on the stinging 99-72 Game 5 loss against TNT on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Tim Cone defiant even after Ginebra’s stinging Game 5 loss
At a glance
Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone is refusing to dwell on the stinging 99-72 Game 5 loss against TNT on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The veteran mentor, although admitting that he felt bad about the loss, stayed defiant as the Kings blew their chances of claiming the series lead for the first time and instead got shoved to a 2-3 deficit with the Tropang Giga now only needing a win to complete a repeat against Ginebra.
“No one feels worse about losing a game like this than me but it's the same. Losing a 30-point game, losing a one-point game, it's the same in this series. So, we just gotta move on, get ready for Game 6,” said Cone who emerged from the Kings dugout last.
The Kings hardly looked like the same team that played in the last two games where they won two consecutive wins to tie the series for the first time after falling into a flat 0-2 start.
Cone admitted his wards looked a bit tired and a step slower against TNT which opened up a lead that reached to as high as 36 points. There were also stretches of offensive drought in the contest as the Kings just couldn’t buy any basket against Tropang Giga’s defense.
“We looked overly tired tonight, even though we had a two-day break. We looked overly tired, we weren't moving well,” admitted Cone.
A cause of concern, however, is the health of his resident import Justin Brownlee who was far from his usual self after scoring a PBA career-low eight points on a measly 3-of-13 clip from the field.
Brownlee also did not entertain any post game interviews – things that he usually does regardless if Ginebra wins or loses – and was escorted by Big Dome securities to a waiting van.
Cone, however, shrugged it off.
“It doesn't matter what he did individually. And it actually doesn't even matter that we lost by 30 points. Bottom line is we lost. You'd still be talking to me if we'd lost by one point if we'd lost by 30. So, it's the same thing,” Cone pointed out.
All is not lost however still for Ginebra as a win in Friday’s game would drag the match to a winner-take-all on Sunday, Nov. 10 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
“It's not the way we planned it but, it's one game in the series, it's not the series.And our job, my job, is to win a series, not to win one game,” said Cone.
“Now our back is to the wall and we'll have to come out with a little bit of desperation in Game 6,” he added.