Beterano pa rin ang sinandalan ng Gin Kings

ni GA - @Sports | April 24, 2022

Nananatiling hindi masolusyunan ng Meralco Bolts ang madilim na daan patungo sa Brgy. Ginebra, at sa ikaapat na pagkakataon ay nanatiling matagumpay ang mag-aalak nang lasingin ang mga katunggali para sa 14th title sa Philippine Basketball Association.

Ayon kay Ginebra Coach Tim Cone, na nakuha ang kanyang ika-24th title (18 ang may imports at ika-10th sa Gov’s Cup) at ika-6 para sa Gin Kings, maituturing na malaking balakid sa kampanya ng Bolts ang kanyang mga beteranong manlalaro na si import Justine Brownlee, LA Tenorio, Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar at Jeff Chan.

“We have a great veteran team and great veteran leadership and the leadership step up and remember they have talking about it and start practices and the leaders lifted the dilemma during practice and everybody start to follow and suddenly we played better basketball. It led to this point and to this championship. We got to get credit to the leadership of the team,” pahayag ng 64-anyos na tubong Oregon, USA.

Bumanat ng matinding 30 puntos si Tenorio na naikumpara naman ni Cone sa dati nitong manlalaro na si Jojo Lastimosa ng Alaska Aces, upang tulungang saraduhan ang pintuan ng Meralco sa 103-92 panalo.

“That’s LA, I’ve been saying, he has his moments where he’s not playing great basketball but all of a sudden, when he really needed him to step up, he stepped up,” wika ni Cone.

“I used the comparison of Jojo Lastimosa. He has the same type of guy. Jojo could struggle to game or a series, but when you need him most to step up, especially in that quarter, he hits big shots.”

Nalampasan naman ni Brownlee si Billy Ray Bates sa ika-5th place sa scoring list ng mga imports sa PBA nang magtala ng 4,539 sa Game 6 kumpara sa 4,523 ni Bates. Nasa 3rd spot si dating Presto at Gilbey’s import Lou Massey sa 5,386, Alaska Milkmen Sean Chambers (8,225), Shell import Bobby Parks (8955) at multi-titled player at Coach Norman Black sa 11,329.