Expect fireworks as Barangay Ginebra and Meralco duke it out in the pivotal Game 5 of their best-of-seven semifinals series in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, May 26.

Tip-off of the clash is at 6:15 p.m. with the Kings and the Bolts raring to get their hands on a 3-2 series advantage and move them a win away from joining the San Miguel Beermen in the Finals dance.

Although coming off a dominant 90-71 win in Game 4, Ginebra head coach Tim Cone is refusing to believe that the momentum is now completely on the side of the Kings, stressing that winning big and winning by one point is just the same in a tightly contested series.

“Winning by a big margin was all just ‘pogi’ points. In a series you don't get extra games for it. You win by 30 you still get one win, you win by one point you still get one win basically it’s just one win going into the next game,” said Cone.

Ginebra, though, seemed to have finally figured out Meralco’s defensive schemes which gave them the headaches in the loss in Games 2 and 3. After barely escaping the series opener, 92-88, the Kings got clobbered, 103-81, before absorbing another 87-80 loss that put them in a 1-2 hole.

Cone made the adjustments in Game 4 and started LA Tenorio at the point – a move that sparked the wire-to-wire win for Ginebra.

With both teams resting their starters early in the lopsided result in Game 4, Cone is expecting another tough battle especially with the lead now a virtual best-of-three affairs is at stake.

“It’s all going to equal out and it's going to come down to the big whopper of a game in Game 5. That’s going to be a pivotal game at this point now the best-of-three. It’s really going to be a pivotal game that’s what makes the series so exciting,” added Cone.

The ball, however, certainly on the court of Meralco as it now scrambles for answers to the impact of Tenorio which also enabled the games of Japeth Aguilar, Christian Standhardinger and even the once struggling Scottie Thompson to come out.

That put more pressure on the guys like Chris Newsome, Chris Banchero and Bong Quinto to step up while their plethora of big men in Raymond Almazan, Cliff Hodge Brandon Bates, Kyle Pascual and Norbert Torres must hold their own inside the paint and anchor the Bolts’ league-leading defense.