Gin Kings look like pretenders so far

MANILA, Philippines —  Struggling Barangay Ginebra better shake off its championship hangover soon if it wants to make its way back to the top.

The reigning PBA Commissioner’s Cup kings have been anything but royal in the early goings of the Governors’ Cup with only one good game to show – a 115-85 rout of Blackwater – against a pair of setbacks to Phoenix (78-81) and Rain or Shine (99-110).

Sunday’s loss to the Elasto Painters even led to coach Tim Cone blasting his charges for what he described as a “really, really, really poor effort” and “worst in a long time.”

“Somehow I’m going to have to try to light a fire under our players, especially our key guys,” said Cone, whose squad shares fifth and sixth with Magnolia (1-2), another underperforming contender that’s outside the “Magic 4” in Group B.

“They got to come out and play better. And sometimes coming off a championship, it’s tough getting guys going. It’s like pulling teeth to try to get everybody on the same page and working hard,” he added.

The challenge is doubly hard with Justin Brownlee sidelined by an assortment of injuries and Scottie Thompson also out on hamstring issues.

Import Riley Grigsby is manning the fort for now, but Cone said production from the rest have been lacking.

“Riley’s doing enough for us to win, but everybody else has to contribute at this point. So, just keep working on it. But right now, we feel we’ll be there in the end, but I’m not surprised we’re going through struggles right now. And there’ll probably be more on the horizon at this point,” said Cone.

“But eventually, we’ll figure it out. And generally, we always do. But again, like right now, it’s like pulling teeth trying to get guys to come out and focus, lock into what we do, and play hard. But we’ll see.”

The Gin Kings attempt to steer back on track today against Meralco (2-2), a fellow biggie that hasn’t been as dominant, at the SM MOA Arena.

The Bolts are themselves coming off a 98-112 defeat to erstwhile winless Magnolia, making them as driven to get a rebound in the 7:30 p.m. clash.

Meanwhile, the Elasto Painters have found their groove after a listless 0-2 start and would like to keep this going against rejuvenated Magnolia (1-2) in the 5:15 p.m. opener.