Black says Bolts not rusty: 'We got outplayed'

MANILA, Philippines — Ginebra head coach Tim Cone’s assessment of the Meralco Bolts after Game One: They’re rusty.

But Norman Black begged to differ.

“I do not agree with him,” the Bolts head coach said Friday night. “We got outplayed tonight. It didn’t have anything to do with rust.”

“I think we had three more days of rest than them so I don’t see a big deal as far as [rust] is concerned.”

True enough, Meralco’s field goal percentage was not even at par with Ginebra’s. On top of that, the Gin Kings outrebounded their foes by a wide margin, 59-40.

“We shot the ball poorly in the beginning,” Black added. “Then we had a hard time defending them.”

Meralco gave up 16 second chance points to Ginebra — twice as many as theirs. The Gin Kings also drew 34 points from their second unit, while the Bolts were only able to squeeze 26.

Those numbers, Black added, were uncharacteristic of the Bolts’ brand of basketball.

"Uncharacteristicaly we took so many 3-point shots,” he said. "I think we took about 35 and we only averaged 21 a game. We give them credit for the defense at the same time, it was bad shot selections on our part.”

Going into Game Two, the Grand Slam tactician added that their decision-making should be rectified.

“We have to make sure we get good looks with the basket,” he said.

Meralco and Ginebra tangle anew this Sunday at the Big Dome.