Barangay Ginebra San Miguel may be coming into the playoffs as the No.1 seed, but coach Tim Cone isn’t taking his team’s quarterfinal opponent lightly.
Enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage, the Gin Kings only need a win to advance to the Oppo PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals. But they have to first overcome the gritty GlobalPort Batang Pier anchored by the deadly backcourt duo of Terrence Romeo and Stanley Pringle.
“No doubt, we’re in for a battle,” Cone said. “They have the ability to make tough shots at big moments and that make them incredibly dangerous down the stretch of the games.”
GlobalPort seized the final playoffs ticket on Sunday after edging Alaska, 107-106, in a knockout game. Romeo displayed his nerves of stell in that one, burying the game-winning trey with nine seconds left.
Romeo finished with 26 points, five rebounds and three assists while Pringle had 21 points, six boards and five dimes.
Alaska coach Alex Compton watched in horror as his Aces failed to find a way to stop the “Slash Brothers”.
“When you have Terrence and Stanley on the floor, it’s frightening for us opposing coaches. You can do a good job defensively and they would still score,” Compton told InterAksyon.
But apart from the “Slash Brothers”, Cone said GlobalPort import Justin Harper is also a big threat to Ginebra.
“Justin Harper’s ability to shoot and spread the floor for Pringle and Romeo make them a lot difficult to defend,” added Cone.
