Kings, Fuel Masters eye clinchers; Bolts, Tropang Giga battle for life

CEBU, Philippines —  The Barangay Ginebra Kings and the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters are raring go for the knockout punch as they battle their rivals anew in Game 4 of the best-of-five PBA Philippine Cup semifinals today at the AUF Sports Arena in Angeles City, Pampanga.

The Kings and the Meralco Bolts will mix it up at 3:45 p.m., then followed by the showdown between the Fuel Masters and the TNT Tropang Giga at 6 pm.

Armed with 2-1 leads, both the Kings and the Fuel Masters need only one more victory to march into the championship round of this historic one-conference season played inside the Clark bubble because of the coronavirus pandemic.

But they much brace for one big war as the Bolts and the Tropang Giga are expected to conjure all the strength they could to launch a strong reprisal and extend the series to its full five-game route.

Ginebra coach Tim Cone himself admitted that cutting off the Bolts’ powerline in the PBA bubble is a tough task.

 “It’s going to be really hard to close them out,” said Cone in a report by PBA.ph. “They got a great coach over there who’s also been through these kinds of wars and they got a young, hungry core that’s listening to him.”

For Meralco coach Norman Black, his wards must play better on both ends of the court if they want to live and fight for another day.

“Simply put, we’re in a must-win situation,” Black said. “We must play better on both ends of the court and we must bring a high energy level.”

Like the Bolts, the Tropang Giga are also determined to bounce back against the Fuel Masters and forge a rubbermatch in their own race-to-three series.

To achieve their goal, TNT coach Bong Ravena said they must make the necessary adjustments.

That is something they have prepared for during the two-day ceasefire.

“Alam na alam na nila mga usual na ginagawa namin. Nasasangga na nila,” admitted TNT coach Bong Ravena. “Kailangan naming ibahin suntok, kasi kami nasusuntok nila, salag lang kami ng salag.”

On his end, Phoenix coach Topex Robinson has indicated that they are ready to deliver the knockout punch against the Tropang Giga with hopes of boosting the morale of other underdogs, not only in the pro league or other sports but in everyday life.

“If we can go to the finals, and inspire a lot of people, that’s where we’re headed,” said Robinson.