Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 22) – Barangay Ginebra San Miguel won its second straight PBA Governors’ Cup title after defeating the Meralco Bolts, 103-92, in Game 6 of their best-of-seven championship series on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
This is the fourth time that Ginebra beat Meralco in a finals showdown since 2016. The crowd favorite ball club prevailed against the Bolts to clinch the 2016, 2017, and 2019 Governors’ Cup crowns.
The Gin Kings have also tied Magnolia and Alaska as the second winningest team in the league with 14 championships.
Both teams were in a tight battle in the first half but the Gin Kings mounted an offensive attack in the second half, much to the delight of the 20,224 fans inside the packed arena in Pasay City.
Ginebra import Justin Bronwlee led the Ginebra scoring rally in the second half after racking up 22 of his 24 total points in the last two quarters, putting behind his dismal first half where he only made a basket in the first quarter.
With 4:35 remaining in the game, Brownlee drained a triple to tally the Gin Kings’ biggest lead of the game at 96-80.
Tony Bishop led Meralco with 21 points and 16 rebounds while Aaron Black added 18 markers and five rebounds as the Bolts continue their search for the elusive first PBA crown since joining the league in 2010.
“We have a veteran team. We have great veteran leadership. And the leadership really stepped up. The leaders lifted the level of their play in practice. Everybody started to follow and suddenly, we were playing better basketball and it led to this point and this championship,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone in the post-game press conference.
Scottie Thompson took home the Finals Most Valuable Player award after finishing with 17.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in the six-game finals series. The plum is a significant addition to his productive play after he was earlier selected as the 2021-22 PBA Governors’ Cup Best Player of the Conference.
The resident Ginebra reinforcement also contributed 16 rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and two steals
Veteran playmaker LA Tenorio also made a huge impact in the crucial Game 6 as he led all scorers with his conference-high 30 points along with four rebounds and four assists.
Cone continues his run as the league’s winningest head coach as he bagged his 24th chip, his sixth with Ginebra.
The decorated Ginebra mentor also thanked their fans for supporting the Gin Kings, who had to overcome a twice-to-beat quarterfinals disadvantage against TNT and a four-game tough semifinal series against number two seed NLEX before overturning a 2-1 deficit against Meralco in the finals.
“We started playing better basketball when the fans started going crazy and that just lifted us up and kept us moving forward. Without the fans, I don’t think we would have been able to make this comeback into this conference and do well in the playoffs, especially the quarterfinals,” Cone added.
The Scores:
GINEBRA 103 – Tenorio 30, Brownlee 24, Standhardinger 19, Thompson 15, J. Pinto 5, Tolentino 6, Aguilar 2, Chan 2, Mariano 0
MERALCO 92 – Bishop 21, Black 18, Maliksi 15, Almazan 11,Newsome 11, Banchero 6, Hodge 5, Quinto 5, Belo 0, Caram 0
Quarterscores: 19-24, 47-47, 78-73,103-92
