Ginebra could have hoisted its 16th championship trophy on Wednesday night, but TNT had other plans. Instead, the Gin Kings and the Tropang Giga will play Game 7 in the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals.
Tim Cone wasn’t exactly in a bad mood when he talked to reporters in the aftermath of an 87-83 loss to TNT in Game 6 of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup Finals on Wednesday.
After all, Cone said the Gin Kings played the way they should have, and TNT just simply earned the series-tying win at the Big Dome.
“We got the game we wanted, we played the game we wanted but they were just better at it than we were tonight,” Cone said.
“They made big shots, they made big stops, forced turnovers on us. We tried to stay in the game. Like I said its the kind of game we want to play, its the kind of game hope to play but tonight they were better at it than we were.”
After a tight three quarters, where TNT was only leading 63-62, the Tropang Giga quickly established enough cushion in the fourth period after going on a 9-0 blitz, taking the largest lead of the game at 72-62.
But behind Justin Brownlee, Ginebra managed to make it interesting in the homestretch.
Brownlee made back-to-back baskets in the final two minutes to cut the lead to one, 79-80.
But Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Poy Erram kept hitting in the clutch for the Tropang Giga, eventually completely shutting the door on the Gin Kings before a mammoth crowd of over 17,000 inside the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Cone and Ginebra though, don’t have time to whine about what went wrong in Game 6.
Instead, they are opting to prepare for what is expected to be the Gin Kings’ toughest Game 7 yet.
“They’re never just another game. Game 7 is never just another game. They’re tough games,” said Cone.
“Tough to prepare for, especially when you come off a loss. I think it’s a little bit harder going into Game 7 when you’re coming off a loss rather than coming off a win.”