MANILA – Ginebra coach Tim Cone is aware that everyone is watching his team especially that the Philippine Basketball Association's perennial crowd favorite is the number one squad entering the quarterfinals.
This was why he said that he was to devote his club's layoff to assure coping with the pressure.
"It's all about just taking care of ourselves, making sure we're getting ourselves ready and we understand the pressure of being the number one seed," Cone said, adding that he is aware that everyone expects Ginebra to make the finals.
However, he is also aware of the possibility of a top seed getting knocked out as early as the quarterfinals.
It happened last season when top-seeded NLEX fell to eighth-seeded NorthPort in the Governors' Cup quarterfinals.
"It's a luxury to be number one, but it's no guarantee. You got to make sure you work through it," Cone continued.
The Barangay is set to face the eighth-seeded Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters in the next round starting on Friday night at the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center.
Ginebra holds a twice-to-beat advantage over ROS, only needing one win to make it to the best-of-five semifinals.
However, the Elasto Painters have the capabilities to pull off an upset especially that they prevailed over the Barangay, 85-82, in their regular season meeting on Oct. 27.
The difference, though, is that Japeth Aguilar and LA Tenorio were not in their optimal match fitness yet that time due to the recoveries from their respective injuries.
With both veteran superstars now getting better, they can be of a major boost when Ginebra battles ROS again at 6:45 p.m. Friday.
The winner of the said series will take on the victor of another quarterfinal pairing between San Miguel and Meralco.
The fourth-seeded Beermen, also holding a twice-to-beat advantage, will open their own series with the fifth-seeded Bolts also on Friday at 4 p.m. (PNA)
