Cone sees long road ahead but still optimistic for Ginebra

Games Wednesday (Cuneta Astrodome)

4:15 p.m. – Star vs Mahindra

7 p.m. – Rain or Shine vs Alaska

MANILA, Philippines – The fact that the Barangay Ginebra Kings have made the PBA Philippine Cup playoff round despite the inconsistency and unsteadiness of their game is a source of inspiration for the team going into the post-elims play.

“We’ve taken a lot of big punches and we’re still standing and we still have a chance,” said coach Tim Cone after the Gin Kings hurdled the NLEX Road Warriors, 90-80, to book their quarters entry Sunday night.

“It’s been a tough conference for us. But at least we’re avoiding (top seed) San Miguel Beer, and that’s good news for us. We'll rather see them later if we can,” Cone also said, anticipating a seventh-place finish at the close of the single-round-robin elims phase Wednesday.

Alaska Milk and Star both go for a No. 2 finish while Rain or Shine takes its fourth and last shot at an outright quarterfinals entry in the last play date of the elims at the Cuneta Astrodome.

The Hotshots take on the ousted Mahindra Floodbuster at 4:15 p.m. while the Aces and the Elasto Painters clash in a virtual playof duel at 7 p.m.

A win by the Aces makes them the No. 2 playoff seed with a twice-to-beat advantage versus the No. 7 team. Meanwhile, a victory by the E-Painters automatically carries ROS into the Last Eight, avoiding a do-or-die playoff with the Blackwater Elite for the eighth and last quarters slot.

Another possible scenario is a seven-way tie at second place among Alaska, Star, TNT KaTropa, GlobalPort, Rain or Shine, Ginebra and Phoenix at 6-5. Playoff seedings will then be determined by the quotient system.

In Cone's mind, they would finish at No. 7 and would play a team with a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarters.

"We have a tough, long journey," said Cone, hoping that in the next few days, Japeth Aguilar recovers from his injury and regains his post strength.

The Gin Kings have barely made the playoff round curiously after a title run in the last Governors Cup.

In their struggle, the Kings dropped matches against key rivals the Texters (103-108), the Batang Pier (84-91), the Aces (86-101), the Beermen (70-72) and the Fuel Masters (73-79). They went on a win-loss-win-loss ride, scoring just one back-to-back triumphs over the Meralco Bolts (83-72) and the Elite (99-90).

Cone rues his players at times "are forgetting that they're a good bunch."

The Ginebra coach lamented his players "playing like a high school bunch against professionals" in the first half of the Ginebra-NLEX match.

But Ginebra shook off a sluggish start and overcame an early 17-point second-quarter deficit for a 6-5 closing card.

LA Tenorio and Joe Devance spearheaded a 32-point turnaround by Ginebra from 20-37 down en route to the victory leaving Rain or Shine (5-5) and Blackwater (5-6) to dispute the last slot in the Last Eight.

From 17 points down, the Gin Kings came to within four, 42-46, at the half on a decisive charge towards the end of the second quarter. They surged ahead 72-64 at the end of the third then led by as many as 15 before capping their 10-point conquest of the Road Warriors.

NLEX ended up with a poor 2-9 record.