source: gmanews.tvJong Uichico silently made his way to the PBA Press Room moments after Barangay Ginebra suffered a 91-84 setback in Game 4 of the Commissioner’s Cup Finals against Talk N Text.
The multi-titled Ginebra mentor sat down with a worried look on his face as his team is now staring at a 3-1 series deficit -- and on the brink of losing the championship. He praised his team for playing well, offensively and defensively, then blamed himself for the loss in a game they could have won that would allow them to tie the series at 2-2 apiece
“I thought we played very well tonight (Wednesday) and we defended very well. We got them to a low scoring game in first half, but I’m blaming myself for making the wrong decision of giving my players extended minutes. The decision I made backfired," said Uichico, who is seeking his ninth championship in the PBA.
‘If they were able to sustain their kind effort they showed in the second half, we could have won the game and tied the series," he added.
Nate Brumfield and Mark Caguioa played 38 minutes, Willie Miller saw action for 37 minutes, while Rudy Hatfield and Ronald Tubid played for 32 minutes as the Gin Kings’ old guards didn’t have the legs to compete against coach Chot Reyes’ greyhounds for the final push in Game 4.
The Gin Kings led by as much as 17 points, 55-38, early in the third and protected a 68-59 lead entering the final quarter.
But in one swift run, the Tropang Texters were able to take over the Gin Kings.
Paul Harris starred in a backbreaking 14-4 run for the Tropang Texters, who led took a 73-72 lead then held the Gin Kings to just two field goals in a five-minute stretch.
With their backs against the wall, the Gin Kings fight for life on Friday’s Game 5, a step which they need to make in order in hopefully matching the feat they did 20 years ago.
Ginebra is the only team in league history to climb back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals. The Gin Kings, then mentored by the legendary playing coach Robert Jaworski, rallied from 3-1 down in the 1991 import-laced conference against Shell before winning in Game 7 courtesy of Rudy Distrito’s dramatic basket.
But Ginebra will need more than just a miracle to pull this one off against the heavily-favored Tropang Texters, who now have the biggest winning percentage in league history (34-9) or a 79-percent winning average.
Can Ginebra still pull this one off against a Texters' squad seeking for its first back-to-back championships?
“Nothing is impossible," said Uichico. “We need to take it one game at a time. We need to win on Friday and extend the series on Sunday."
Reyes and his Tropang Texters are aware on the Gin Kings’ capability to bounce back.
“Today (Wednesday), they came in with a conscious effort of winning a game. On Friday, they will come in with no other recourse, but to win. They have nothing to lose and I’m sure ibibigay nila lahat. We need not only to match their effort, but we need to come out with good execution as well," said Reyes. - Rey Joble, GMA News
source: gmanews.tv
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