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MANILA, Philippines—The cliché is that two teams going head-to-head in a long series have thrown all they can, this appears to be the case in the PBA Commissioner’s title series between Barangay Ginebra and Barangay Ginebra. The Bay Area will be contested in a decisive Game 7 on Sunday.
But Ginebra coaches Tim Cone and Brian Goorjian may have something up their sleeve in the title-deciding game at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan, for their players to decide what plans they have to offer. that can be done literally or not.
A lot of questions arise in the minds of those who have watched one of the most intense championship chases in a long time.
WHAT KEY WILL BE IN THE BIG GAME?
With Justin Brownlee and Myles Powell tipped to cancel each other out with the possibility of a big lottery draw, the match-and-death match will be in favor of the locals, who have put on stellar performances and struggled. in the six matches that took place over a long period of time. three weeks.
Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson, Christian Standhardinger and more recently Japeth Aguilar are among the most consistent players on Gin Kings. Stanley Pringle had his moments, as did LA Tenorio before his groin injury bothered him while Jamie Malonzo was still able to make an impact after his Roller Coaster Finals debut.
The Bay Area won three games after Hayden Blankley’s all-out play, Kobey Lam’s outside shot and Glen Yang’s steady play, although all three also struggled against Ginebra’s defence. Zhu Songwei can sometimes be a bargaining chip for the Bay Area with his length and versatility but is also suspected of making careless decisions while the 7-foot-5 Liu Chuanxing and Duncan Reid put in the effort. a lot of force at both ends, especially after Andrew Nicholson was injured.
WILL HAVE A GAMBIT ON MYLES POWELL?
Powell’s 29 points, even ahead of Scottie Thompson and Nards Pinto, who are among Cone’s main full-backs, are testament to how the 6-foot-2-tall keeper can explode no matter the situation.
Some fans questioned the decision to keep Pinto in the 4th quarter with his offense reduced to 1/9. Thompson is also tasked with protecting Powell in certain parts of the game.
Cone was pleased with how his team defended Powell, but he might consider other ways to at least get Powell to land his shots. There are suggestions from Ginebra supporters that Malonzo or Aljon Mariano take over, or perhaps give Jonathan Gray, who has been used sparingly, a try.
At the end of the day, Cone and his coaching staff will decide if they will live or die with whatever they want to call.
JAPETH AGUILAR IS READY TO PLAY MY BEST GAME?
Aguilar’s stomach problems contributed to his drop in output due to having to play in the knockout stages, but he gradually became a key player for the Gin Kings as the Finals progressed.
Interestingly, he produced the same 12-point, six rebound numbers in each of the previous three while averaging 3.0 blocks over that period.
His improved play has eased the burden on Standhardinger, who throughout the series has been consistent with solid defensive play on the Bay Area’s front lines while earning his points despite not being an option. choose first or second.
CAN FLIGHT BE SUPER PRESSURE?
The Dragons have proven that they can perform well against a crowd that most of them are against. Game 7 will test that belief, this time with at least 50,000 people expected to watch in Bocaue.
There are matches where Ginebra loyals can force the Bay Area to make mistakes, but there are also other days where Dragons make the audience unobservable, like in Game 4 where Lam shot 30 and Powell unleashed timely shot in Game 6.
WHO IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FLIGHT AREA PLAYER OUTSIDE POWELL?
It’s easy to tell that Blankley is about the way he shoots as well as his defense and Lam is a knock-out shooter. But Yang is Goorjian’s most reliable local player since he’s arranged everything to play in midfield.
Yang’s absence in Game 5 was obvious as the Bay Area was forced to divide up the responsibility of protecting points. He played 43 minutes in Game 6, and his partnership with Powell surprisingly improved the Dragons’ back lane depth.
WHO CAN WIN the FINAL MVP?
Thompson seemed to be the favorite on Ginebra’s side, but Standhardinger may have lifted himself up after assisting Brownlee in Ginebra’s rally from 12 points in game three to a seven-point lead in Game 6.
Lam’s shooting prowess in Bay Area-generated victories made him a strong contender, but Blankley recovered from the horrific shooting in Game 1 to become a key contributor in the game. belt war.
CAN A FLIGHT LEVE A LONG TERM IMPOSSIBLE?
Unfortunately, some fans have labeled the Bay Area as their team of complaining too much, which has been the opposite since Blankley and Powell were fined by the PBA Commissioner’s Office for comments against the regulation. onion.
Goorjian’s rich experience including leading Australia to a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was evident in the way the Dragons competed. He talked about not only hoping to win, but also earning the respect of Filipino basketball fans.
But the Dragons, who have brought a different flavor that the PBA hasn’t experienced in a while, seem to have done it, regardless of whether it ends with a title or a runner-up trophy. to bring back to Hong Kong.
WHAT IS THE MEANING WHEN GAME 7 ENDS?
The hype surrounding the final game of the mid-season conference has set a fitting climax to an unpredictable series. It could turn out to be one of the most memorable endings of a series, especially for Ginebra fans who hope for the satisfaction of winning a championship against a foreign team and strengthening try to add the legacy of people who will try to pull it off.
For the Bay Area, the championship will be the ultimate reward after being in the Philippines for five months, having to deal with the postponement of the East Asian Super League and multiple import swaps involving Powell and Nicholson.
We like to believe it will be a memorable Game 7, but whoever wins will have a memory that will last a lifetime.
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