The Gin Kings will march on to the semifinals against the Beermen.
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel coach Tim Cone did not hide his disappointment in the aftermath of the team’s 106-93 win over NorthPort Batang Pier in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals on Friday.
That’s because the Gin Kings went flat after a fiery second period that saw them outscore the Batang Pier, 30-13. Good thing Ginebra did just enough to keep the Batang Pier at bay before eking out the victory to advance to the next round.
“I'm certainly disappointed with our play in the second half. I thought we really came out and played with playoff intensity in the first half only giving up 35 points,” said Cone after the match at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
“Second half we came out a little bit sloppy. We weren’t getting back well on defense. I think we started taking the game a little bit for granted.”
Jamie Malonzo shared the same sentiment.
“We’re not really satisfied with the way it ended,” said Malonzo, who finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.
As good as the Gin Kings have been recently, the champs certainly can't fall flat in the semifinals as they take on sister team San Miguel. The Beermen enter the semifinals with a six-game winning streak
“You do that against San Miguel, you’re gonna get blown out. There’s a lot we have to clean up because we have to beat San Miguel on even terms,” Cone said.