Pivotal game tonight

In the 2016 PBA Governors’ Cup finals, Meralco raced to a 2-1 series lead over Barangay Ginebra only to lose the next three games in frittering away the championship. At the moment, the Bolts are up, 2-1, over Ginebra in the Governors’ Cup finals with Game 4 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight. The expectation is another huge crowd will jam the venue to witness what could be the pivotal contest in the best-of-seven duel. Game 1 drew 12,475 at the Big Dome then Game 2 brought in 12,248 at the MOA Arena and Game 3 had a crowd of 16,104 at the MOA Arena.

Game 4 is crucial because it could open a 3-1 lead for the Bolts or knot the series to turn it into a best-of-three affair. If the Bolts make it two wins in a row, they’ll be a victory shy of clinching. If Ginebra wins, it’ll assure a Game 6 and give coach Tim Cone’s squad three full days of sorely-needed rest until Game 5 on Easter Sunday.

In Game 3, the grind began to take a toll on Justin Brownlee. With Stanley Pringle and Japeth Aguilar unavailable, Ginebra has been short-handed since the start of the finals, prompting Cone to play a short rotation. Brownlee, Scottie Thompson, LA Tenorio and Christian Standhardinger are playing extended minutes so pacing has been a key. The burden on Brownlee’s shoulders is heavy. After losing the opener, Ginebra adjusted Brownlee’s point of attack and he played closer to the hoop. From taking seven triples in Game 1, Brownlee unloaded only five in Game 2 and delivered 36 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. But in Game 3, Brownlee was back in the perimeter and went 1 of 10 from beyond the arc, settling for the outside bomb to preserve himself. He wound up with a conference-low 19 points. Ginebra led 22:18 minutes while Meralco was ahead for 20:35 minutes but when the Bolts grabbed the driver’s seat with 11:30 left, they never relinquished. Ginebra ran out of steam in the homestretch and failed to score in the last 5:21 minutes.  Lack of depth has forced Cone to dispatch Joe Devance, who’s not yet 100 percent from surgery in both knees, and reactivate Aljon Mariano. Aguilar, recovering from a calf strain, suited up for Games 2 and 3 but didn’t play. Will Aguilar check in for duty tonight?

In the 2016 finals, Meralco took Game 1, 114-109, lost Game 2, 82-73 and won Game 3, 107-104 before Ginebra swept the next three outings, 88-86, 92-81, 91-88. Only four Bolts remain on the roster from that squad that took it on the chin in a crushing tailspin. In the 2017 finals, Meralco and Ginebra squared off in Game 7 with the Bolts dropping a 101-96 verdict and in the 2019 edition, Ginebra broke out from a 1-1 start to win three in a row for the clincher. Meralco coach Norman Black is determined to make sure the 2016 collapse won’t happen again.