(PBA image)
In Tim Cone’s words, there was no mystery to the outcome. The better team won.
The veteran coach of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel did not look for alibis after the Kings were sent packing by the defending champions San Miguel Beermen, falling for the second straight year in the semifinals of the PBA Philippine Cup.
San Miguel sealed the series with a commanding 101-88 win in Game 6 on Friday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, booking a return trip to the finals against TNT Tropang 5G.
After the final buzzer, Cone was quick to give credit where it was due.
“They were obviously the better team. They made all the big shots, they made all the big stops, not just (Game 6), but the whole series,” said Cone, who also serves as Gilas Pilipinas coach. “They’re well deserving.”
For Cone, the gap between the two teams revealed itself repeatedly on the defensive end. Ginebra struggled to sustain stops across the series, allowing San Miguel’s stars to dictate the tone. Nine-time MVP June Mar Fajardo dominated stretches with near 20-20 performances, Don Trollano erupted for a career-best 32 points, and in the clincher, CJ Perez delivered a first-quarter explosion that paved the way for a career-high 41.
For Cone, that told the entire story.
“Our defense didn’t go (in Game 6), got better in the second half, but every time there was a big moment, we made turnovers or we couldn’t get a stop,” he said. “That was just kind of the story in the whole series – we couldn’t step up big time and they did. That was the series.”
The loss was a familiar sting for Ginebra, which also fell to San Miguel in the Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals, a seven-game duel that ended with the Beermen advancing, 100-93. Once again, Cone was left acknowledging the same hard truth: when it mattered most, San Miguel rose higher.