Cone braces for TNT shooting comeback in PBA finals

MANILA, Philippines — Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone is expecting the TNT Tropang Giga to regain their bearings with emphasis on rediscovering their shooting touch as their PBA Governors’ Cup finals series rolls on.

Cone party attributed their 102-90 Game 1 win Sunday to a poor shooting night for TNT, which is uncharacteristic for a squad known for its marksmanship.

The Tropang Giga struggled from the field, going 35-of-90 (38.9%), including a dismal 9-of-35 (25.7%) from beyond the arc.

This pales in comparison to TNT’s pre-finals conference averages of 115.9 points on a 47.7% overall shooting accuracy and 37.8% from 3-point territory.

Now, Cone is bracing for better shooting numbers from TNT in the next games.

“(TNT) didn't have a great shooting night tonight (last Sunday), but they're gonna have two to three games where they're gonna shoot the lights out, and there's probably nothing we could do about it,” the Ginebra mentor said in the post-game presser. 

“Tonight that didn't happen so we were able to control the game a little bit,” added Cone, whose wards shot better (39-of-90 for 43.3% overall, including 15-of-36 for 41.7% from rainbow country) on their way to drawing first blood.

Game 2 is set 5:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. – With a previous report by Olmin Leyba