There’s no sense of any celebration from the winners of Game 1 of the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals with Barangay Ginebra and TNT already looking forward to their opponents’ fightback come Game 2 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Friday, June 27.

Both the Kings and the Tropang 5G are gunning for a 2-0 lead though they both knew pretty well that their semis rivals, the San Miguel Beermen and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, respectively, are not easily giving in.

“It's only one game,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone, who, while glad to draw first blood in the series, was far from being satisfied especially with how his team played in the 73-71 Game 1 escape.

“We have to be playing better than this as the series goes on for us to have a chance but it's nice to always get the lead in a series,” he added.

The Kings-Beermen clash will be featured in the curtain-raiser this time followed by the main event at 7:30 p.m. between the Tropang 5G and the Elasto Painters.

Like Cone, TNT head coach Chot Reyes isn’t making a big deal in the Game 1 98-91 win as he looks to prepare his team against the big retaliation he expects from ROS.

“Our only concern is the next game. For coach Yeng, he will have a different starting lineup. They went small. It was a great ploy to match our speed but like I said in the end we were just fortunate to lock them down defensively,” said Reyes.

Indeed, defense was the key in the Game 1 triumphs of Ginebra and TNT, which incidentally are looking to arrange a third-straight Finals showdown this season.

Against the two best offensive teams in the conference, the Kings managed to hold down SMB below 80 points while the Tropang 5G were able to clamp down on the defensive end against the misfiring Elasto Painters, just in time to pull away in the final frame.

“We have to keep the scoring down. We think that is to our favor. We are used to playing more low scoring games. I think that was the most obvious game plan out there,” Cone said of his team’s defensive efforts.

“We have to keep the scoring down. We are much more defense oriented. They are more offense oriented so when we go to a defensive battle that goes to our favor,” he added.

The biggest concern for SMB, however, is the fitness of June Mar Fajardo who was hobbling with a calf injury in the contest. His extended absence on the floor is what allowed Ginebra to come back into the contest even after trailing by as many as 18 points.

For the part of Rain or Shine, the three-point shooting and rebounding were the key issues they had in Game 1. They were severely outrebounded, 59-44, while their three-point shooting was almost a non factor after only making eight of their 34 attempts.