Ginebra has been firing on all cylinders over the series’ last six quarters. Can the Gin Kings close it out or will the Bolts live to fight another day?
The Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings
After lacklustre performances in Games 1 and 2, where they were lucky to take one game away, the Gin Kings have finally woken up to showcase their true firepower. They took control of Games 3 and 4 and look as hungry as ever to bag another championship.
A free-flowing offense will always be present inside a Tim Cone-coached squad, especially when the talent is as overflowing as Ginebra’s current roster. However, the team defense heading into Game 5 should be anticipated as well. The effort has been stellar in the last two games as it has held Meralco to just 36% shooting with 18.5 turnovers per game.
Justin Brownlee and Stanley Pringle will be the hot targets for Ginebra. Brownlee is averaging 31 points and 11.2 rebounds per game on the series and fresh-off dishing out a conference-high nine assists. He can shoot from anywhere on the floor and we should continue seeing him toss his weight around. Pringle, meanwhile, is starting to be fully integrated into Cone’s system, as evident with him getting more opportunities to operate and thus having three-straight games with 20 or more points.
Even if those two suddenly get cold, which is unlikely, there’s Japeth Aguilar, LA Tenorio, and Scottie Thompson to pick up the slack.
The Meralco Bolts
Welp. What can we expect from the Bolts? They looked mentally and physically exhausted in Game 4’s 94-72 loss as they continued to shoot bricks and be sloppy with the ball.
As they try for one last gasp, Meralco would obviously try to feed Best Import awardee Allen Durham as much as possible. It’s usually interesting to see but Durham has been slowed down over the past two games. He’s only scoring 22 per game on 41.4%-shooting over that span, both way below his standard numbers. All the double and triple teams has also caused him to have 5.3 turnovers per game since Game 2.
Chris Newsome is the next best option after Durham, and although he has a quick first step and a smooth enough touch from the outside, he’s basically a small fry of offense to the absolute feast that Ginebra has. The Gin Kings will not be worried trading buckets with him.
Raymond Almazan showed his undeniable spirit in Game 4 by playing while nursing a meniscal tear but he’ll prove to be too banged up to carry the unforgiving task in the paint.
Everyone else in the Meralco has been utterly disappointing, particularly Baser Amer. He got hot in Game 2 and disappeared again due to his defensive inefficiencies.
PREDICTION:
The Gin Kings have all the momentum they can handle. They should be able to finish off Meralco, 98-87, to capture the Governor’s Cup title.
