Royal repeat: grander, sweeter

Kings edge fighting Bolts, keep title in game 7

BOCAUE, Philippines — Barangay Ginebra reined in the tough Meralco Bolts to keep its reign one to remember by a roaring throng of 54,086 fans with a 101-96 win in Game 7 of the PBA Governors Cup last night at the Philippine Arena.

And it completed the quest by feeding on its never-say-die spirit as the Bolts made a shattering comeback from 20 down to within four points in the last 22 seconds of the contest.

It was a Game 7 like no other with the Bolts’ lightning rally in the last six minutes against the Kings whose superior firepower three-fourths of the game gave them the cushion to pull off the win as Meralco ran out of gun and time.

The Gin Kings actually faced a determined last-ditch stand by the Bolts at the finish but stood defiantly to keep the Governors Cup crown they won over the same gritty foe last season.

Amidst explosions of multi-colored confetti, the Kings linked arms in prayer before whooping it up at midcourt to celebrate winning a do-or-die duel with the Bolts for a 10th championship in all for the franchise.

It’s a sweet title repeat essayed before the biggest crowd ever to watch a PBA game. For the multi-titled coach Tim Cone, that made this championship so special.

“That’s amazing to win it before this crowd. Imagine 54,000 people. Never I would imagine to do this in front of these people. It’s an amazing feeling,” said Cone.

“I’ve been through two different teams, different sets of fans. But the Ginebra crowd is so special, so different. It’s so rewarding to reward them, and make thousand of people happy,” Cone added.

Pumped up by the crowd, the Kings methodically scooted away early and stayed firmly in control before having to fend off the Bolts’ last stand and frustrate Meralco yet again in its title bid.

LA Tenorio provided the early spark, delivered lethal bombs in crucial moments and deservingly won the PBA Press Corps Cignal Finals MVP award. It’s a repeat for this former Ateneo hotshot who was also the Finals MVP winner in their title run last year.

It became a lot easier with the team clicking on both ends together, with their early romp leading to a 20-point breakaway at 52-32.

 “We hit big shots all night. LA hit big shots; Justin (Brownlee) hit big shots; the guys got big rebounds, made big plays. It’s a total team effort,” said Cone.

Tenorio sizzled with five three-pointers and a total of 26 points, Brownlee rifled in three treys and finished with 23, while Scottie Thompson, Greg Slaughter, Japeth Aguilar and Joe Devance came through with their own double-digit outputs.

On the defensive end, the Kings practically ganged up on Meralco import Allen Durham, limiting him to six points and eight rebounds in the first half.

When they started to miss shots at endgame, the Kings turned on defense to thwart the Bolts and seal the series that went the distance following Meralco’s mighty fightbacks from 2-0 and 3-2 series deficits.

A steal by Thompson, a big offensive rebound by Aguilar and a charity by Tenorio settled the outcome of the game as Ginebra went without a field goal basket in the last two minutes of the contest.

The Kings ignited early chants of “GI-NE-BRA! GI-NE-BRA!” by their die-hards as they pulled away early and erected their 20-point lead shortly before the half.

Aguilar winning the opening tip, Thompson converting Ginebra’s first attempt then Chris Newsome committing an error in their initial possession proved to be early indications of what’s to come.

A one-hander on a baseline attack by Mark Caguioa off the bench opened a first double-digit spread for Ginebra at 40-29, four minutes into the second period.

Behind the starting combination of Brownlee, Aguilar, Tenorio, Thompson and Devance, the Kings imposed themselves right away and took the opening quarter at 27-19.

The scores:

GINEBRA 101 – Tenorio 26, Brownlee 23, Thompson 14, Slaughter 12, Aguilar 10, Devance 10, Caguioa 4, Ferrer 2.

MERALCO 96 – Durham 26, Dillinger 20, Hodge 14, Newsome 11, Caram 9, Hugnatan 7, Amer 6, Lanete 3.

Quarterscores: 27-19, 52-37, 81-64, 101-96