Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone is not one to scrimp on expressing in view on life in general, and sports in particular.
San Miguel beer should be among those heeding Cone's words as the Beermen and Kings renew their PBA Governors' Cup semifinals duel Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
A 99-94 decision last Sunday at the Dasmarinas City Arena gave Ginebra a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and another win would move the crowd darlings on the verge of booking a return to the finals like what they did the last time the tourney was held in 2023.
According to Cone, his team's latest victory was mainly the result of his Kings simply shrugging off a 125-131 overtime loss in Game 2 and keeping their focus.
"That's something we don't dwell on," said Cone when asked about the lessons learned by his team after its failure to follow up a 122-105 victory in the series opener.
"I don't think it's a healthy thing to dwell on and there's a real art to moving on when it comes to basketball and sports and I think that's a real valuable tool even in life that we oftentimes learn from sports," added Cone.
"Whether we lose or whether we win you continue to move on and look at the next game, get ready for the next thing, just like in life as well. No matter what happens to you you've got to find a way to move forward whether it's a good thing or a bad thing. You've got to keep your full focus on what's ahead of you," Cone also said.
"We're not going to dwell on the fact of that we could have or should have or would have. The bottom line is, here is where we are right now, and this is what we're going to deal with."
Main objective for Ginebra right now is to try and at least match the energy of SMB, which should be equally recharged and ready to go following the much-needed two-day break.
The respite, no matter how brief, should help Justin Brownlee and the rest of the Kings' main players to recover. But Cone also pointed out that the same holds true for June Mar Fajardo and the rest of the Beermen.
"This is an important time for both teams, obviously," noted Cone. "We're trying our best to keep June Mar moving and playing hard and we prefer him not to have an extra day off."
Indeed, the rigors of trying to withstand the pressure defense from the Kings' defense, anchored on Japeth Aguilar, seem to have finally taken their toll on Fajardo, who was limited to just eight shots and 12 points just two days after a 23-21 performance in Game 2.
And while import EJ Anosike has been consistent for SMB with series averages of 31.3 points and 9.0 rebounds Brownlee hogs the limelight with more well-rounded norms of 34 points, 10.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3.0 blocks per game.(NC)
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