Tenorio clamors for vets to take charge in Game 7

MANILA, Philippines -- Brgy. Ginebra point guard LA Tenorio expects little surprises from his former coach Tim Cone when his Kings battle the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers in the do-or-die Game Seven today.

For Tenorio, all the cards have been laid down in the first six meetings. He believes that Game Seven will just boil down to mental & physical toughness.

"For me, hindi na yan X's and O's. We just have to be ready mentally and physically," Tenorio said.

"We can't afford to start the way we did in Game Six. If we do that then we're dead," the all star point guard added.

Read also: Tiwa-LA: Tenorio redeems self from lackluster Game 5 

But one thing he saw that will make the Mixers a tough customer to handle in a Game Seven is their experience.

After all, the Mixers are coming off a championship run in the Governors' Cup that gives them the slight advantage heading to Game Seven.

"He'll (Cone) stick sa kung ano ang nagwo-work para sa kanila which is their triangle offense. Kasi San Mig is already doing the triangle na parang automatic na eh. Wala na yung dati na natalo sila sa Powerade (Tigers)," Tenorio referring to the meltdown the Mixers suffered against the now defunct team in the quarterfinals of the same conference two seasons ago.

"Ngayon, ibang-iba na flow ang nila a triangle. Our term before ni Willie (Miller) when we were with Alaska, kahit nakapikit kami, we can run the triangle. Ganun sila ngayon," Tenorio continued.

To counter the Mixers' slight edge in experience, Tenorio is clamoring to have the veterans with him when push becomes shove.

"Greg [Slaughter] is there, matangkad siya and he's our advantage. But I think, mas gusto ko na towards the endgame, na kay Mark or Jayjay ang bola," he added. "They (Caguioa and Helterbrand) know what to do, been there and done that, so marami silang puwedeng gawin."

Caguioa, who was not around when Tenorio made the two miscues in the final 13 seconds of Game Five, made the most out of his rare endgame appearance in the series last Monday delivering a game-high 21 points on 9-14 shooting including nailing the foul shots that proved to be the marginal baskets in Game Six.

Helterbrand, meanwhile, made a key defensive stop on PJ Simon that preserved their precarious lead leading to their 94-91 win.