Ginebra eyes Top Four slot against free-falling Blackwater Bossing

Games on Wednesday
(Ynares Sports Center Antipolo, Rizal)
5:15 p.m. – Meralco vs Terrafirma
7:30 p.m. – Ginebra vs Blackwater

GILAS PILIPINAS head coach Tim Cone and the rest of his troops return to home base as Barangay Ginebra tries to shore up its playoff push in a shaky campaign so far in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup on Wednesday at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.

The Gin Kings (3-4) tangle with the free-falling Blackwater Bossing (1-7) at 7:30 p.m. after the duel between Meralco (3-4) and Terrafirma (1-7) at 5:15 p.m.

It’s the first game back in the PBA for Mr. Cone after nearly a month-long off from his ballclub to focus on national team duties in the first window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

And it’s the same for some of his prized bets like Scottie Thompson, RJ Abarrientos and Japeth Aguilar, who just retired from national tour of duties but not so quick with Ginebra in the PBA, after a good job in Gilas’ 2-0 sweep of Guam.

Before the Gilas duty, the Gin Kings scored a crucial 102-93 win over Phoenix to somehow right the ship of a rattling campaign so far at eighth place with a 3-4 slate.

And Mr. Cone is hoping to ride on that momentum to still stay afloat in the race for a Top 4 finish that comes with a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals.

“It was good to get the monkey a little bit off our back. Those were the games that we needed down the stretch, which we haven’t done so far in this conference. Hopefully, it’s a start to playing with more confidence in the fourth quarter and in finishing games,” said Mr. Cone, still trying to solve Ginebra’s flat start after back-to-back finals appearances last season.

After Blackwater, up next for Mr. Cone’s charges are Terrafirma, Rain or Shine and Titan Ultra. A sweep of the last three games is a must if the Gin Kings wish to stay in Top 4 contention. Otherwise, awaiting them would be a tougher twice-to-win disadvantage or worse, an early exit.

“We know the expectations we have up in this team and we’re not living up to it. We know that but we’re just trying to stick to learning and getting better,” added Mr. Cone, who also has Troy Rosario, Stephen Holt and new anchor Norbert Torres to bank on.

“It’s a learning process as we make changes in trying to fit in the system with our different personnel. It’s not quite taking the way we envisioned it but we’re trying.” — John Bryan Ulanday