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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Even after Game 2 win, Rain or Shine's pace still a concern for Ginebra coach Tim Cone. Here's why

Even after Game 2 win, Rain or Shine's pace still a concern for Ginebra coach Tim Cone. Here's why

Published May 23, 2026 11:21 am

At A Glance

  • According to the veteran mentor, Ginebra is still facing a dilemma in trying to control the tempo of the game and fight in what he deemed an 'energy war' against Rain or Shine.
Barangay Ginebra may have tied the PBA Season 50 Commissioner's Cup semifinals series against Rain or Shine to 1-1, but the pressure has not eased for the Kings.
Not one bit.
The Kings put up a better performance in Game 2, holding off the Elasto Painters for a 109-101 victory, but head coach Tim Cone believes his team is getting the short end of the stick in terms of how the games are being played so far.
According to the veteran mentor, Ginebra continues to face a dilemma in dictating the tempo and matching Rain or Shine in what he described as an "energy war."
"We don't want to play slow but we certainly don't want to play as fast as they play,” said Cone after the contest that reduced the series to a virtual best-of-five affair.
While they won Game 2, Cone believes the current pace of the games still favor Rain or Shine, and that is becoming a cause of concern as he ended up overplaying his key players like Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson and RJ Abarrientos.
That concern was visible in the second half of Game 2 when the Elasto Painters, behind their fresher legs and deep rotation, came tantalizingly close to pulling off a comeback from 24 points down.
“They kept the pace up and wore us down and came down to the 4th quarter and they gave themselves a chance to win,” Cone pointed out
“We played right into it but it's hard not to, because they come at you in waves and you're trying to do your best, from a coaching standpoint, to get your guys rested so they can be fresh in that fourth quarter,” he added.
“It's very difficult because you're really overplaying Justin, RJ, Troy, Scottie. From a coaching standpoint, you expect them to do that. You just hope that you have enough energy down the stretch to hold them at bay,” he added.
With a one-day turnaround before Game 3, Ginebra needs to find that extra energy to compete against the high-octane pace of ROS.
“Again, this is the style they want to play because they want to come into Sunday, wear us out through Friday so they can come in and play us again on Sunday and win the energy war,” said Cone.
“it's really finding that tempo that's going to save Justin a little bit, going to save the other guys a little bit and keep them fresh for the fourth quarter,” he added.

Related Tags

Tim Cone Rain or Shine Barangay Ginebra PBA playoffs Justin Brownlee
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