Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup. PBA Images.MANILA — Barangay Ginebra San Miguel suffered another defeat in the PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup, with head coach Tim Cone pointing to his team's lack of urgency as the biggest reason behind the loss.
"I'm disappointed with our effort tonight," Cone emphasized after the Gin Kings absorbed their second loss in three games in Group B following a 110-99 defeat to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Sunday.
READ: Fuller, Tiongson impose will as Rain or Shine overwhelms Ginebra
"Really, really, really poor effort. It was the worst we've had in a long time," added the winningest coach in PBA history. "[Rain or Shine] outhustled us in all departments tonight, and they had a greater sense of urgency."
Compounding Ginebra's struggles were its 21 turnovers, while it was outrebounded, 46-37, and outscored in the paint, 52-22, as Aaron Fuller and Caelan Tiongson imposed their will on the Gin Kings' frontline.
Rain or Shine also capitalized on Ginebra's miscues, finishing with a 27-13 advantage in points off turnovers and a 14-3 edge in fast-break points.
Aside from his team's lethargic play, Cone admitted a championship hangover could also be contributing to Ginebra's sluggish start to the conference.
"Sometimes, coming off a championship, it's tough to get guys going," said Cone of Ginebra, which captured the Season 50 Commissioner's Cup title a month ago. "Somehow, I'm gonna have to try to light a fire under our players, especially our key guys."
While new import Riley Grigsby has provided optimism, Cone stressed that Ginebra's local core must also raise its level if the team hopes to contend in the season-ending conference.
"Riley's doing enough for us to win, but everybody else needs to contribute at this point," he said.
"They'll probably be more on the horizon at this point, but eventually, we'll figure it out," Cone added. "Generally, we always do, but again, it's like pulling teeth trying to get our guys focused and locked in on what we do and to play hard."
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