By JONAS TERRADO
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the Meralco Bolts have given their players extended time to celebrate Christmas before refocusing on the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals which starts Jan. 8.
Team manager Reyboy Rodriguez of Ginebra and his Meralco counterpart Paolo Trillo said practice will resume tomorrow where they will start mapping out strategies for the best-of-seven championship series.
The Kings hold their regular sessions at the Upper Deck Sports Center in Ortigas while the Bolts train at the Meralco Gym. Interestingly, these two facilities in Pasig City are one kilometer apart.
Ginebra started its Finals preparation this week after a brief respite following a four-game semifinal series triumph over NorthPort.
But Ginebra had to wait for Meralco to finish off TNT KaTropa in the other semis series last Monday before it can formally set out a battle plan.
While the players are capitalizing on the Christmas break to rest their bodies and enjoy the company of family and friends, the coaches are making sure they get their homework done properly.
“Coaches worry a lot, stress a lot about the games and we also stay up late watching tape trying to come up with strategies for the next games,” said Bolts coach Norman Black.
Black understands that he must be on top of his game, knowing that Ginebra mentor Tim Cone is doing the same.
“Tim’s always hungry, that’s why he has so many championships,” Black said.
The two American coaches with combined 32 PBA titles will face off for just the fifth time in their careers.
Cone has won all of the previous four meetings, starting off in the 1995 Governors’ Cup Finals when his Alaska Milkmen beat Black’s San Miguel Beermen in seven games.
He repeated over Black in the 2014 Commissioner’s Cup that saw San Mig Super Coffee defeating Talk ’N Text in a best-of-five Finals, 3-1.
Their last two meetings came in the 2016 and 2017 editions of the Governors’ Cup that saw Cone and Ginebra defeating Black’s Meralco both times.
