IT'S the time of the year for a super special card, and it’s no surprise Barangay Ginebra – the crowd darling as it is – is in it.
The Gin Kings have long been familiar to the Christmas Day chore – a challenge with all the things one has to deal with all the holiday rushes, so much so that it’s hard to lock in on the task at hand on the basketball court.
For this one, the task has become heavier with the Gin Kings facing a must-win situation if they’re to live to fight another game.
It’s Ginebra versus twice-to-beat Converge in one of the quarterfinals matchups in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup. They clash in the 7:30 p.m. mainer of a Christmas Day PBA special at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“Christmas Day games are tough, and they’re hard to lock into. That’s one of the challenges of being a coach, player of Ginebra or just being a Ginebra team,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone of the reality that have got used to.
“You’re being out in these situations a lot but again, it’s out of our control. We just deal with what we can deal with so I think our guys are gonna get ready,” Cone added.
Christmas Day aside, the Gin Kings are dealing with a heavy burden versus the FiberXers with their win-once advantage as the higher seed at No. 4.
The two teams actually posted the same 7-4 win-loss marks in the elims but Converge wound up as the higher seed with its 106-96 beating of Ginebra in their elims face-off.
Cone is hoping Ginebra can bring their A-game to the PBA playoffs. He mentioned that they've had some good wins, but feels they still haven't played their best game yet.
"Hopefully we're saving it (best performance) for first the playoffs," he said.
They need to if they’re to stand their ground against the young, talented Converge crew led by Justin Arana, Justine Baltazar, Juan Gomez de Liano, Alec Stockton and Schonny Winston.
Coach Delta Pineda is heading to his first PBA playoffs as head coach and he’s boosted his roster with the acquisition of free agent veteran Vic Manuel.
Pineda focuses on building his team's confidence, saying their trust in each other will make the difference.
Curiously, the two teams also met in the quarterfinals in the previous Philippine Cup, but with Ginebra the one enjoying the twice-to-beat advantage.
The Gin Kings disposed of the FiberXers then to advance to the semifinals versus eventual champion San Miguel Beer.
Of course, the FiberXers are looking for payback. The Kings, meanwhile, try to keep their winning tradition while banking once again on their never-say-die attitude.
