In the crucial best-of-seven finals series between the Bay Area Dragons and crowd-favorite Barangay Ginebra San Miguel at the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, the Hong Kong-based guest team made a strategic decision. They chose to celebrate the holiday season like professional basketball players by staying in the Philippines to continue training.
Team Manager’s Statement:
Maya Montecillo, the team manager, explained that their players decided to stay behind and train during the Christmas and New Year break to prepare for game three, scheduled for January 4.
Game 1 Recap:
In the opening game of the series, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel emerged victorious with a score of 96-81 on Christmas Day, delighting thousands of Filipino fans at the Mall of Asia Arena. Justin Brownlee, Ginebra’s import, led the charge with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists. LA Tenorio also contributed significantly with 22 points. For the Bay Area Dragons, Andrew Nicholson led with 27 points and 12 rebounds.
Game 2 Controversy:
Between games 1 and 2, controversy arose regarding the officiating, particularly involving Christian Standhardinger’s physical play against Andrew Nicholson. The foul calls shifted in favor of the Bay Area Dragons in game 2, which they won 99-82. Nicholson scored 30 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Coach Tim Cone expressed his frustration with the officiating.
Game 3 Turnaround:
In Game 3 on January 4, Barangay Ginebra secured an 89-82 victory. Justin Brownlee and Scottie Thompson played pivotal roles, and Coach Brian Goorjian emphasized the importance of taking shots without worrying about the home crowd’s support.
Coaches’ Statements:
With an 89-82 victory in Game 3 at the Mall of Asia Arena on January 4, Barangay Ginebra restored the lead in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals, Justin Brownlee and Scottie Thompson did their best after their training during Christmas.
For Bay Area Dragons head coach Brian Goorjian, the best way to win the crucial third game is for his guys to shoot the shot, and don’t mind the 16,000 strong Filipino fans who support the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
“I said to the group, all of them, ‘Do what you did in the last game, take your shots. You got my full backing. I’m gonna coach that other side of the ball, the rebounding, the defense.”
“The fans in that stadium cheering for their team. I thought the young guys were a little bit tense in the first one. So I tried me personally support them and say ‘take your shots’.”He said.
For Barangay Ginebra San Miguel coach Tim Cone, they need to activate the crown even more.
As the winningest coach in the history of PBA said,
“The good news is we’ve got time to get turned around and refocused and get ready for the next game. It’s gonna be a fun series. They’re tough, man, and that’s one thing we learned tonight.”
“I think that we just started to feel like we could just show up and win. We can’t do that against this team. This team is way, way too good. They’re too big, they’re too athletic and they’re too well-coached.”
Basketball analysts have predicted that this match would continue until the do-or-die game 7, but winning the crucial third game can swing the momentum of either team.