Still licking the wound of its finals setback at the hands of bitter rival, TNT, Barangay Ginebra makes its Philippine Cup debut on Wednesday against Terrafirma at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Gin Kings clash with the Dyip at 7:30 p.m. as the league’s crowd darling wants to make a good first impression in the league’s most prestigious tournament.
With every victory counts, Ginebra knows the sense of urgency to win every game, especially since the league rewards the top four teams at the end of the elimination round a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinal round.
Since opening the tournament with a 95-87 triumph over Phoenix Super LPG, Terrafirma had since suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of Meralco (80-118) and NorthPort (75-97). A win against a team that is still trying to get its feet wet will definitely be a big boost to the Dyip’s cause.
Like Ginebra, TNT is also making its debut this conference, but standing on the Tropang 5G’s way are the Road Warriors of NLEX. Both teams collide at 5 p.m. as the reigning back-to-back champions begin their quest for an ambitious grand slam.
TNT just wrapped up its training camp at the Inspire Academy in Laguna and NLEX head coach Jong Uichico believes the Tropang 5G look sharp as ever.
“It’s been barely a month since they last won the championship, but they barely rested and buckled down to work quickly,” said Uichico. “On the other hand, we’re still trying to find our identity and this will be a good test.”
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