KINGS TRY TO COMPLETE RESURRECTION

BARANGAY Ginebra may have bought some time, but its back remains against the wall against B-Meg in
their PBA Commissioner's Cup semifinals duel.

The Kings must now exert another balanced, all-around effort in order to put the pressure  on
Llamados Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

"One mistake, tanggal na kami," was how Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen summed it up.

The Kings eluded the Llamados' broom with a breakthrough 88-79 victory last Sunday.

B-Meg coach Tim Cone took all the blame for the loss, which prevented his team from realizing a
three-game sweep of the best-of-five duel.

"I'd like to say that we beat ourselves last game by playing with little focus and awareness, but I
don't want to take the credit away from Siot and their coaching staff and the way they prepared,"
said Cone Monday. 

"But when our guys come out unfocused like that, it's on me. It's my fault."

Cone did not have to say much more out loud. Statistics bear him out and tell the Llamados' sorry
tale in Game 3.

B-Meg shot 17-for-41 from the field in the second half to Ginebra's 17-for-39. The Llamados won the
rebounding battle 54-48, but that was far removed from the 29-19 advantage they had after the first
24 minutes of play.

James Yap wound up with 14 points but went scoreless in the entire second half while Denzel Bowles
did not buy a basket until late in the third quarter, after he has missed his first eight attempts.

Marc Pingris also got slapped with a technical foul and a flagrant foul penalty-1 just 30 seconds
apart and promptly got ejected only 1:31 into the second period.

"I'll need to have them better prepared for Game 4," said Cone.

The motivation has long been there for Ginebra and best personifying that is a group of determined
individuals led by KG Canaleta, Mike Cortez, Rudy Hatfield and Jackson Vroman.

Canaleta scattered a gamehigh 23 points, anchored on 4-for-8 three-point shooting, while Cortez
notched a first-ever career triple double of 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, capping the
sterling performance with five straight points from a 78-74 count.

For their part, Hatfield and Vroman constantly applies the pressure on the B-Meg frontline with
their constant penetrations and motions.

Should Ginebra win Tuesday a decider is set Thursday. But that's not what occupies the Kings'
collective thoughts at the moment.

"In our situation right now we cannot complain," said Tanquingcen. "Kami rin ang dahilan kung bakit
kami nandito. But we have to persevere, i-build pa iyung character ng team, 'yung Ginebra spirit. If
we build character, it will give us hope."

And it will not just be about gameplans anymore. "It boils down to puso na, e," he stated. "Ibuhos
na lahat, iyon 'yung kailangan naming gawin." (NC)