The burden of adjustment is now on Barangay Ginebra, with momentum on the side of Meralco as the two teams square off in a Game Three tiebreaker in their side of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals.
It could well be a Sunday thriller at the AUF Sports Arena Powered by Smart 5G with both sides determined to come out and slug it out to hammer out the pivotal 2-1 lead in the race-to-three series.
Tip off is at 6:30 p.m.
"The series has come down to a best of three series so Game Three will be very important. We are expecting a strong response from Ginebra so we have to be ready," said coach Norman Black whose troops got into the series on their second-half turnaround leading to a series-tying 95-77 rout Friday.
For Ginebra coach Tim Cone, Game Three is about making their own fightback after that shattering Game Two loss.
"Meralco beat us in all phases of the game, most especially in the second half. Not shooting the ball well does not concern us as much as losing out in other areas of the game. We know we will shoot better, but more importantly, we need to shore up the rest of our game," said Cone.
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From a 96-79 win in Game One, the Kings had looked well ready for a good shot at a 2-0 series lead until running smack to the wall in the second half Friday night.
They even enjoyed an eight-point lead at the half, 50-42.
But then they squandered everything as they suddenly struggled badly, being limited to 11 points in the third quarter and 16 in the fourth.
The Bolts pounced on the Kings' meltdown, seizing control in the third and staying relentless all the way through.
Chris Newsome and his teammates drew tremendous boost and energy from their stoppages and blue-collar board work.
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And the Bolts intend to continue to play the same way in a bid to gain the series upper hand.
"Defense and rebounding will continue to be the keys," said Black. (SB)
