ginebra coach Tim Cone PBA

Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone draws up a play during a timeout against Blackwater in the PBA Governors’ Cup.–PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—Barangay Ginebra’s win over Blackwater on Tuesday night didn’t take away the fact that there’s a fast-rising team to watch out for this PBA Governors’ Cup.

Ginebra coach Tim Cone made sure the rest of the league would take notice.

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“Blackwater is for real,” said Cone with a sigh of relief after a 112-98 win over the Bossing at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

“They’re a ‘for real’ team, especially now with George King. They have a lot of different weapons and I thought we did a really good job against (Sedrick) Barefield in our first game even though we lost but he got away from us in this game and played really well.”

READ: PBA: Scottie Thompson leads by example in crucial Ginebra win

George King was brought in as replacement for Ricky Ledo after Blackwater started the season at 0-3. King’s arrival quickly led to a resurgence with the Bossing going on a three-game winning streak that began with a 95-88 stunner over Ginebra last August 30.

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King, who had 33 points and 19 rebounds in a triumphant PBA debut in the first encounter against the crowd darlings, drew high praise from Cone.

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“I just told him what a great player he was. There were times where he would make his move in front of me and those shots looked impossible. I told him I was marveling at the shots he was able to make,” Cone said on King, who had 21 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists but committed six turnovers in the rematch.

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But King isn’t the only reason for Blackwater’s sudden rise with the likes of Troy Rosario and rookie Sedrick Barefield also playing well.

READ: PBA: Ginebra beats Blackwater in rematch on Thompson triple-double

Coach Jeffrey Cariaso, who won eight championships as a key cog for Alaska and four more as assistant for the Purefoods franchise alongside Cone, deserves a lot of credit as well, according to his former longtime mentor.

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“Jeffrey’s doing great stuff over there and he has been, even at the last conference. The record’s not always showing it but I think, if you’re a real basketball purist and you can watch what’s going on, the players’ habits and the way they’re playing, you can see that Jeffrey’s doing a truly great job over there,” said Cone.

“I, for one, who had him as a team captain for seven or eight years, I’m real proud of him… Doesn’t mean I want to lose to him though,” he concluded in jest.



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