IN the tradition of their old rivalry, the current iteration of the Ginebra-Meralco playoff clash has turned to be a war of attrition.
Tied after four games, the Kings and the Bolts slug it out in a real pivotal duel in Game Five of their PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinal showdown at the MOA Arena in Pasay City Sunday.
It could be a knife-edge battle with the victorious taking the crucial 3-2 lead and gaining two shots at wrapping up the series for a crack at the crown versus defending champion and playoff top seed San Miguel Beer.
Game time is at 6:30 p.m.
With a four-game sweep of Rain or Shine in the other semifinal pairing, the Beermen have got some breather before doing the Last Dance versus the Gin Kings or the Bolts.
Sponsored content: Meanwhile, Ginebra and Meralco are once again in a long, furious face-off marked by wild momentum swings and a running duel of adjustments between the think tanks of the opposing squads.
Coach Tim Cone, beaten in Games Two and Three, came through with key moves the last time out, calling on LA Tenorio and Stanley Pringle to start and play major roles.
With both responding in the affirmative, the Kings pulled off a lopsided 90-71 victory to send the series back to square one.
"As bad as we played last game, we played that good in this game (Game Four), and the energy was so much better," said Cone, who had described their Game Three performance "terrible."
"We started differently. We really brought in LA and Stanley (Pringle) to give us that veteran presence and help get our execution going. And they really responded. They gave us a good start and a chance to rest some people," he added.
Sponsored content: And no doubt, the burden of adjustment now is on the other side.
For coach Luigi Trillo, it's now about the readiness to battle in a long series.
He said he's sure Ginebra would never say die and neither the Bolts would quit.
And so it could be a Sunday thriller at the MOA Arena. (SB)
