Face off
STILL smarting from blowout losses in their previous assignments, Barangay Ginebra and NorthPort look to get back into the winning track when they square off again in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
The game comes almost two months after their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinal showdown, which the Justin Brownlee-led Kings won in five games.
Game time is 7:30 p.m. with the Kings hoping to bounce back from 93-104 beatdown from San Miguel Beer last Friday and the Batang Pier aiming to barge into the win column following blowout losses to Rain or Shine (96-113) and Blackwater (98-120).
Both teams are in now trying to get back into the groove as they hope they have shaken off the rust and can play a little relax now.
Ginebra is at 1-1 while NorthPort at 1-2 entering the battle.
Brownlee and his NorthPort counterpart Kadeem Jack are no longer around, but the Kings and the Batang Pier are again expected to play all out.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone said he expected their long night against the Beermen.
“The problem with coming late into the conference is you’re not as sharp as some of the other teams,” said Cone
“You do get a longer break which is important for our guys to be able to rest their bodies. But still, when you get back, the games come a lot faster and you’ve got to make up that time.
“Also, you’re playing teams who have a rhythm already and made some adjustments to their game, to the rotations. And we haven’t been able to do that,” he added.”
The Batang Pier also showed good promise in a 97-75 conference debut against the Terrafirma Dyip before being torn apart by the Elasto Painters and the Bossing.
