[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Meralco braces for Ginebra retaliation in finals Game 2 ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
By ADRIAN STEWART CO
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
MANILA – The Meralco Bolts is bracing for a huge fight back from the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings in Game 2 of the 2016 Oppo PBA Governor’s Cup best-of-seven finals tonight at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Bolts head coach Norman Black said it’s too early to celebrate for his squad despite scoring a 114-109 overtime win in Game 1 on Friday as there’s still a long way to go for the championship.
“It’s always good to win the first game of a best of seven series. But we’ll have to go back to the drawing board. Watch the tape again and prepare for Ginebra in Game 2,” Black said.
Black also gave credit to his American reinforcement Allen Durham, who paced the Bolts with a near triple-double 46 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in the series-opener win.
Aside from scoring 17 early points in the opening frame, Durham also waxed hot with seven crucial points in the overtime period for the Bolts, which is gunning for its first-ever PBA trophy.
“Allen Durham is the driving force for us,” said Black. “That’s been happening for us in the past few games. We’re just hanging in there. All of the sudden the offense starts to click.”
“AD made a couple of baskets and our defense kicked in. It’s nothing magical, it’s nothing hard to explain. We’ve done well in end games and we showed it again tonight,” he added.
Kings head coach Tim Cone, for his part, said that the Game 1 victory of the Bolts is a testament that their opponents are not pushovers despite reaching the finals for the first time in franchise history.
“They’re not first timers. You have Norman Black out there who is a veteran coach,” said Cone. “It’s the leadership out there that is important. I don’t think the Bolts are newbies.”
“Meralco dominated TNT and beat them for three straight games. I think they are the more experienced team. Not us,” added Cone, who will be coaching in his 30th PBA finals and looking for his 19th title./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
