Is Ginebra worried?

Barangay Ginebra was blown out of the MOA Arena right in the opening period in Game 1 of the PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven Finals against San Miguel Beer last Friday and looked like the team took the night off in losing a 109-82 decision.

It was Ginebra’s worst loss this conference since bowing to Alaska, 101-86, in the eliminations. Despite the setback, Ginebra fans don’t seem to be too worried. First, they point out Ginebra beat the Aces twice in a row to overcome a twice-to-win disadvantage in the quarterfinals although Alaska won by 15 in their first meeting in the elims. They also remember that Ginebra lost the first two outings in the semifinals against Star and the Barangay still finished on top in the end. Second, in the last two Philippine Cup Finals, the team that lost the series opener wound up capturing the crown.  So drawing first blood is no big deal or at least the Ginebra fans claim.

Ginebra had two days off before meeting San Miguel in Game 1 while the Beermen had three. That extra day meant San Miguel showed up fresher and more rested than Ginebra which went through the wringer in escaping the Hotshots.  Ginebra coach Tim Cone tweaked his starting lineup a bit last Friday, tapping Aljon Mariano instead of Scottie Thompson at the three position to match up against Marcio Lassiter. He tested his starters in the early going to find out how much energy they had after the gruelling Star series. Cone realized the gas tank was near empty.

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San Miguel zoomed to a 17-2 lead then upped it to 33-9. The quarter ended with the Beermen on top, 35-12. For a team that’s supposed to be No. 1 in the league in defense, Ginebra played out of character. San Miguel hit 12 of 18 field goals, including five layups and enjoyed a stretch of five straight connections. The Beermen also had 10 assists in the period compared to four for Ginebra which went 4-of-17 from the field. The quarter was so lopsided that San Miguel coach Leo Austria ended the blitz with five relievers on the court. 

At the half, San Miguel was up, 54-27. When the smoke of battle cleared, the Beermen walked off the court brimming with confidence. Game 2 is set in Lucena tonight.

Cone didn’t push his key players to the limit in Game 1. Japeth Aguilar logged only 14:08 minutes, down from his conference average of 32.6. L. A. Tenorio didn’t collect a single assist in 15:31 minutes. Kevin Ferrer saw action for only 6:16 minutes. Obviously, Cone has the big picture in mind. His top guns will be well-rested for a bounce back in Game 2.

But Austria didn’t push his key players to the limit either. After San Miguel virtually settled the issue in the first period, Austria went to his reserves to mop things up. Arwind Santos was the only player who clocked at least 30 minutes. JuneMar Fajardo logged 22:38 minutes but still managed 17 points, eight rebounds, two assists and three blocked shots. Alex Cabagnot clipped 10 minutes off his usual. Chris Ross checked in for 29:20 minutes, down from his average of 32.7, and took Best Player honors with 17 points, five boards and eight dimes. R. R. Garcia didn’t play.

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Cone did a lot of experimenting during the game, particularly in defending Fajardo. He rotated Aguilar, Jervy Cruz, Joe De Vance and Dave Marcelo on the Kraken. What seemed to work was the combination of De Vance as Fajardo’s primary defender at the post and Aguilar providing help from the weak side. Of course, the key is to limit Fajardo’s touches so that will mean pressuring the entry passer to find another option. The task falls on Sol Mercado’s shoulders as the man to shadow Ross.

Game 1 was played in San Miguel’s tempo. Giving up 35 points in the first period and 109 in the game won’t win it for Cone who likes to keep the scores low, stretch the minutes and grind it out. San Miguel’s rampage in transition was reflected in 24 fastbreak points compared to 13 for Ginebra. Before Game 1, Ginebra was No. 1 in field goal percentage allowed at .386 and in assists allowed at 15.2. But in Game 1, San Miguel shot 53 percent and sizzled with 28 dimes. 

Ginebra lacked aggressiveness on both ends. In offense, Ginebra took only eight free throws while San Miguel had 22. In defense, Ginebra gave up 60 points in the paint so the bigs were clearly absent in protecting the rim. Maybe, that was Cone’s way of playing possum or taking a step back for two steps forward. But if Ginebra doesn’t play like it’s supposed to in Game 2, the series could end sooner than later.

Ginebra’s consolation is in the 2015 Philippine Cup Finals, Alaska won Game 1, 88-82, in overtime and wound up losing in seven and in the 2016 edition, Alaska won the series opener, 100-91 and also bowed out in seven after blowing a 3-0 lead. What should concern Ginebra is in those two Finals, San Miguel came out the winner.