SA IKA-4 na pagkakataon ay muling maghaharap ang Barangay Ginebra at Meralco para sa Governors’ Cup crown at naniniwala si PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial na sa pagkakataong ito ay magiging mahaba ang serye.
“Sa akin, palagay ko, long series,” sabi ni Marcial sa pre-finals press conference Lunes ng hapon.
Naghahanda rin ang mga coach ng parehong koponan sa posibilidad ng mahabang serye, kung saan magiging pangunahing salik ang injuries, o ang kawalan nito, sa kanilang tsansa na masikwat ang titulo.
“I’m not really sure how long this series will go,” ani Meralco coack Norman Black.
“I think we are prepared for anything at this point. I’m hoping it’s very competitive especially from our end. Like I said before, this time, our goal is really to just win the championship. That’s really the goal. Doesn’t matter how many games.”
Nabigo ang Bolts sa 2019 Governors’ Cup, ang kanilang pinakahuling title showdown sa Ginebra, at pangunahing dahilan dito ang injuries ng kanilang big man na si Raymond Almazan.
Sa pagpasok nila ngayon sa finals, ang Meralco ay may backcourt problem kunh saan alanganin pa si Chris Banchero sanhi ng upper body injury.
“More importantly for me, we just have to stay healthy. That’s going to be very, very important. It’s a long series. We’re coming off a very physical series against Magnolia where bodies where hitting the floor like crazy. I just need to keep everybody healthy, keep them on the court, keep them available every single game,” ani Black.
Sinabi naman ni Ginebra coach Tim Cone na pinaghahandaan din nila ang mahabang serye sa koponan na tinalo nila sa huling tatlong finals series.
Malaking isyu rin sa Gin Kings ang injuries kung saan hindi naglalaro si Stanley Pringle sa conference at may iniindang calf injury si Japeth Aguilar.
“I think you always prepare for seven games. You always put that in your mind. If it’s shorter, it’s shorter. It will all depends on the flow of the series. If you fall behind, then you are hoping for a longer series. If you get ahead, you are hoping for a shorter series. I think that’s a really common question and I really don’t think coaches really know one way or the other,” sabi ni Cone. CLYDE MARIANO
