Cone surprised with Ginebra's 2-0 lead vs SMB
TIM Cone admitted he and his gritty Barangay Ginebra squad are surprised to be up, 2-0 in their PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup best-of-five quarterfinal series against powerhouse San Miguel Beermen (SMB).
The Gin Kings took the series-opener, 104-95, followed by a 126-99 annihilation of the Beermen in Game 2 to move them within a victory from advancing to the semifinals.
"Is everyone as surprised as I am about this?" said Cone, visibly in disbelief of how seemingly easy Ginebra has handled SMB through the first two games of the series. "We didn't even dream that we would be able to get out, even 1-1, much less 2-0."
With solid team play and defense as Ginebra's trump card, the Gin Kings were smoking from the field en route to finishing Game 2 with a hot 55.1-percent shooting.
Ginebra also outrebounded San Miguel, a team that boasts of nine-time league Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo, 48-30, while the team also enjoyed a massive 32-14 advantage in assists department.
Import Jordan Murphy has also found his rhythm as evidenced by his near triple-double effort of 33 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Ginebra's backcourt pair of RJ Abarrientos and Scottie Thompson delivered all-around numbers, too, while Stephen Holt provided the spark, too.
Abarrientos went on to score 22 points, highlighted by four threes, along with five rebounds and six assists, Holt scattered 19 laced with five triples while Thompson added 12 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists.
"We're definitely on a roll. Our offense is clicking and guys are locked in defensively. We are just trying to keep the pressure on San Miguel, keep on attacking, keep going at him, and so far, it's working," Cone stressed.
And while Ginebra is just a win away from reaching the Final Four, Cone isn't one who will make a big deal of their series advantage.
"I don't have any complaints at this point. But again, two games doesn't make a series as we all know. We've heard that many times," he added.
The American coach knows the Beermen are always capable of coming back.
For one, San Miguel, the league's all-time winningest team is the only ball club in professional basketball history to complete a comeback from a 0-3 deficit and win the Philippine Cup finals series against Alaska in the 2016 season.
San Miguel will try to live for another day and win Game 3 as the series set next Tuesday, will shift to the Dasmariñas Arena in Cavite.
