FOLLOW UP, 2-0 LEAD ON CROSSHAIRS OF LLAMADOS

Published on April 12, 2012

COACH Tim Cone has had teams which won the opening game of a series before, so notching another is
not new to him. What is important, he pointed out, is the follow up.

“It’s the next one that really matters," he emphasized. "You have got to follow (a win) up.
Second game is really the key, in my mind.”

So it is with some anticipation blended in with trepidation that Cone and his Llamados brace for an
Barangay Ginebra fightback Friday in their PBA Commissioner's Cup semifinals series at the Smart
Araneta Coliseum.

"Following up a win is always the tough part about a series. We'll try to rely on the momentum we've
established to see if we can put another good  game together," said Cone. 

B-Meg gained the headstart in the best-of-five affair by putting together three good quarters to
claw back from an early 15-point deficit and notch a cruising 82-67 win last Wednesday.  

The emphatic victory does not give Cone any real sense of security, however. "We know Ginebra's
character. We know the challenge is great," he stated.

And then there's the first 14 minutes of the game of the opener.

“Obviously, we didn’t get off to the start that we wanted,” said Cone moments after the match
played out before a packed crowd at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.

“They had a nice gameplan, pick-and-rolling, involving Willie Wilson and Rudy (Hatfield) coming
off the weak side," he added. "I don’t know what got us going when we came back, but we started
playing a little bit better on defense and that got us back.”

What Cone does know is, it is the same kind of stingy defense that tided B-Meg over Meralco in the
quarterfinals to bounce back from a Game 1 blowout, notch back-to-back wins and wrap up the
best-of-three last Easter.

"Having to play a physical game against Meralco prepared us for this one," said Cone before finding
it irresistible to point out a fact that led to the relatively low scores and a a personal
sentiment.

"They're No. 1 in defense (in the eliminations) and we're No. 2. If it would take for us to win 60
or 55 points to win, then we will do that,” he stated.

The absence of injured Ginebra spitfire Mark Caguioa was also pointed out by Cone as key after the
Kings were unable to sustain an early run that had them racing to a 23-8 lead in the opening minutes
of the second quarter after getting outscored 6-25 for the rest of the half.

B-Meg never looked back as it continued frustrating Ginebra on both ends of the floor to head into
the final quarter with a 60-42 spread and lead by as much as 25 points several times.

"Caguioa was a factor, without a doubt," said Cone. "Mark is their natural X-factor every game. He
opens up things for everybody else."Denzel Bowles won another round in his personal matchup against
Jackson Vroman, tallying 21 points and 10 rebounds to the latter's 10 and 10. Vroman also had a
gamehigh seven turnovers.

Rob Labagala also had 10 points after the likes of Mike Cortez, former MVP Jayjay Helterbrand, Rudy
Hatfield, KG Canaleta and Kerby Raymundo failed to step up for their absent teammate. 

It is now a matter of B-Meg sustaining the intensity, especially on the defensive side, for Cone to
shrug off a queasy feeling despite the series lead.

“I’ve been here many times before. I’ve won the first game of a series many times and that
doesn’t really mean much,” reiterated Cone. (NC)