Ginebra displays triangle prowess, routs Kia

MANILA, Philippines – Barangay Ginebra unleashed one big salvo after another in a fine execution of its vaunted triangle offense that produced a league 14-year high of 39 assists and led to a 120-99 whipping of Kia in the PBA Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.

Moving the ball well, the Kings found numerous offensive weapons as they pounded a hapless Kia side all throughout in a follow-up to their 124-108 conquest of the GlobalPort Batang Pier Sunday.

The Picanto just couldn’t find an answer on Ginebra’s smooth play and overwhelming firepower, and dropped a fourth straight loss after earlier defeats at the hand of Phoenix Petroleum, NLEX and TNT KaTropa.

“We kind of displayed all of our weapons tonight. All of our weapons came to play, and it’s too many for Kia, too many people to account for,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.

“The triangle is a good formula for us right now. We’re creating a lot of shots. We’re showing good ball movement and running a good tempo,” Cone also said, taking pride on the 39 assists they made in the game.

It’s the most by any team in a game since TNT KaTropa issued the same number in a 123-106 win over Sta. Lucia Realty in the 2003 Reinforced Conference.

Justin Brownlee, Greg Slaughter, Mark Caguioa and LA Tenorio stood at the firing end, with each player delivering double-digit outputs. Scottie Thompson, meanwhile, accounted for 10 dish-offs.

Brownlee came through with another sterling all-around game, and missed by three assists what could have been a triple-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds.

Slaughter contributed 18 markers while Caguioa chipped in a personal season-high of 16 and closed in on becoming the next member of the elite 10,000-point club.

Caguioa, a one-time PBA MVP, is now 231 points away from hitting the mark achieved by James Yap in their last game.

“Greg is great. He’s massive and he’s really hard to be defended by Kia. He’s the league’s rebounding and scoring leader when he got injured,” said Cone of their returning behemoth -- the reason of their decision to readopt the triangle offense.

Cone was neither surprised of Caguioa’s explosion.

“We felt from the beginning that the triangle is ideal for Mark, and it’s proving to be very comfortable for Mark. He’s playing the system well,” said Cone.

The entire team played it so well that the Kings built a huge 15-point lead right in the opening quarter and enjoyed a lead as big as 34, 98-64, in their complete domination of the struggling Kia team.

Kia import Markeith Cummings himself struggled badly, coming up with only 14 points and seven rebounds.