BY STAYING poised and true to its recent gritty character, Barangay Ginebra managed to survive a big scare from Rain or Shine.
The Kings expect an even bigger threat from the Elasto Painters Tuesday when they tangle anew in Game 2 of their best-of-five duel at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
It's now a matter of Ginebra rolling with the punch and promptly countering when needed, according to coach Tim Cone.
"That's been our MO (modus operandi), being able to make big plays at the right time," said Cone following his team's 102-89 victory in the series opener.
"So far, so good," added Cone. "I hope we'd continue to do it."
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Fully aware the E-Painters have what it takes to rebound strong, center Greg Slaughter was quick to offer words of caution to his Kings teammates. "It's relieving to get the first win, but we can't celebrate it too much," he said.
"We got one day and we play again and it could easily be evened up the next game if we're not prepared. After winning like that, I expect Rain or Shine to bounce back really hard. We just got to be prepared and we can't let our guard down from the beginning of the game."
Indeed, Ginebra already had a taste of what Rain or Shine could offer.
Last Sunday the E-Painters recovered from a slow start to trim an 18-point deficit to just seven at the half. They even came closest to within four in the third quarter and were down by just five early in the fourth period.
"We caught them off a little unbalanced and generally, especially good teams like Rain or Shine, will right themselves and get back to what they do well," noted Cone.
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"We got them a little bit early with some shooting, but... that second quarter they dominated us and we went into halftime quite scared, thinking: 'Now they've figured us out' because they brought down, I think, a 19- or-18-point lead down to seven.
"So they were in a good position."
It's just that the E-Painters went 1-for-11 from the floor and committed three turnovers over the next seven minutes, enabling the Kings to go on a decisive 21-2 run for a 102-78 lead.
"Our guys... they brought it to within four and our guys were able to pull away again with some big plays."
Apart from the headstart in the matchup, the win also stretched Ginebra's winning streak to a tournament-best eight, just five short of the franchise-best set during the 2008 Fiesta Cup.
Making the win more impressive is the fact it was fashioned minus Japeth Aguilar, who suited up but was not fielded due to an inflamed Achilles tendon injury he sustained in the quarterfinals-clinching game against Meralco last Wednesday.
The forward-center, who averages almost 16 points and seven rebounds a contest, remains a game-time decision.
It should all depend on how well the likes of Justin Brownlee, Jeff Chan, Slaughter and Joe Devance can prop Ginebra's drive anew against the very real threat posed by Rain or Shine's Reggie Johnson, James Yap and Ed Daquioag.
Chris Tiu, Maverick Ahanmisi and Raymond Almazan should also atone for so-so performances in the opener.(NC)
