B-Meg knew exactly how to stop Barangay Ginebra.
“You can’t play Ginebra without making him (Mark Caguioa) your (defensive) priority,” coach Tim Cone said after his Llamados held the Barangay Ginebra gunslinger to three free throws on the way to an 82-70 decision Sunday night that gave B-Meg at least a playoff for the second Finals berth in the PBA Governors’ Cup.
“They have a lot of (offensive) weapons out there,” Cone continued. “And you’re not a very smart coach if you don’t try to stop Caguioa.” The Llamados also got Marc Pingris scoring and rebounding heavily and Marcus Blakely was his usual livewire self as B-Meg peeled away in the third quarter before holding off the Gin Kings in the stretch in front of more than 16,000 fans at the Araneta Coliseum.
Cone prepped his team to play its best defense in the playoffs as they held the Kings to just 16 first quarter points and to 25 at the half which eventually allowed the Llamados to rise to 9-4.
It was the first loss in four games for the Kings in the semifinals, and they would need nothing less than a win against Talk ‘N Text on Wednesday to be able to avail of the 4-of-5 incentive in the round.
Idle Rain or Shine remained on top and will be clashing with the Tropang Texters Monday night and then with the Llamados on Wednesday, needing at least a split to be able to bag the first championship series berth.
The Rain or Shine vs B-Meg match will be very important, since the winner would most likely bag No. 1, leaving the loser in a KO fight with possibly Ginebra or even Talk ‘N Text. As things stand, both the Texters and the Kings are in the running toward availing of the semifinal incentive, with both squads parting ways also on Wednesday.
In the event of a Rain or Shine victory over the Texters on Monday, the Wednesday game would be no-bearing for Talk ‘N Text, paving the way for the Kings to be the ones to avail of the semifinal bonus.
But in the event that Talk ‘N Text sweeps its remaining two games and B-Meg triumphs over Rain or Shine, it would be the Texters against the Elasto Painters for the No. 2 slot and the right to face B-Meg in a best-of-seven title series.
Pingris scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and he highlighted his performance with a crucial offensive rebound that led to a Blakely slam dunk and an assist to James Yap that put the game to bed for the Llamados.
Blakely had 17 points, 11 rebounds and three assists, and Yap and Rafi Reavis combined for 11 each with Reavis becoming the third man to complete a double-double for Cone with 10 rebounds.
B-Meg led by as many as 17 points early in the fourth period.
“The biggest key was that we refreshed our commitment toward the defensive side of the game,” Cone added. “Holding a team like Ginebra to 16 (first quarter points) was big because it gave us the momentum we needed.”
Meanwhile, Meralco took to the door with a lot of respect after pounding out a 113-112 decision of Petron Blaze in the first game.
Mario West hit the marginal layup with 1.6 seconds remaining, and the Bolts closed out their season with a second straight win against a powerhouse side.
“We definitely enjoyed this game,” Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio told reporters afterwards. “The goal was to end the season on a high note and we actually did it. There were anxious moments because we couldn’t stop (Alex) Cabagnot.
“We definitely ended with a loud bang.” Cabagnot had given the Boosters a 112-111 edge with 5.7 seconds remaining after hitting a triple over the outstretched arms of West. The fiery Petron point guard finished with 29 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
West led the Bolts with 41 points and got more than ample support from Mac Cardona, who fired 26.
B-Meg rips Ginebra for playoff berth
