UNTIL Barangay Ginebra's 22-14 closing barrage, the Kings-Bolts opening clash Thursday was a nip-and-tuck affair that could go either way.
The same is expected for Game Two of their PBA Governors' Cup best-of-five quarterfinals contest at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Saturday.
Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.
But of course pressure is heavier on Meralco's side. It's incumbent upon coach Luigi Trillo and his crew to strike back or they would face the tough task of having to climb out of a deep 0-2 hole.
Justin Brownlee brought out old stuff, spearheading Ginebra's searing charge at the finish on the way to a 99-92 victory Thursday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
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Brownlee said it's a fun challenge for both sides who have had a storied rivalry marked by three title disputes.
All championship face-offs went to Ginebra. But the Bolts have had some measure of revenge with victories in their last two playoff matchups.
"Throughout the years, it's just been a fun challenge (against Meralco). They've always been at the top of their game and always given us an A-plus game. So, it's always been tough but it's been fun against that group of guys over there that's very competitive," said Brownlee.
For coach Tim Cone, it's interesting especially as they had no opportunity to size up one another during the eliminations.
"It's an interesting dynamic for us. We haven't played Meralco this conference yet so it's been kind of a feeling-out process. Justin hasn't been against (Meralco consultant) Nenad (Vucenic) and (coach) Luigi (Trillo) before, Stephen (Holt) and RJ (Abarrientos) haven't played against Meralco (in a playoff)," Cone said.
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"They're trying to play their game and we're trying to play ours. We came out on top but basically we just made more plays, especially Justin, down the stretch so that was the key. But it could have gone either way," he added.
For Saturday, the challenge for the Kings is how to repeat. For the Bolts, it's about striking back. (SB)
