Tim Cone: Ginebra ready to run It back against San Miguel

For Barangay Ginebra, the road to the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals has been anything but smooth—and that may be exactly why the Gin Kings feel dangerous heading into another collision with San Miguel. 

After clawing their way out of the brink with a dramatic 99–98 overtime escape against Converge, Ginebra now finds itself staring at a familiar foe, one that ended its All-Filipino campaign a season ago.

The semifinal pairing, set to begin January 4 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, revives one of the league’s most intense modern rivalries. Last season’s seven-game war still lingers in memory, highlighted by LA Tenorio’s iconic Game 6 dagger before San Miguel ultimately closed the door in the decider. 

That history has not been lost on Ginebra head coach Tim Cone, who sees the rematch as both a challenge and an opportunity.

“We know them, they know us,” said Cone.

“We took them to seven games the last time, so we’ll see if we can flip the script this time around. That’s what we’ll try to do this time, flip the script.”

Momentum, however, is no longer exclusive to the Gin Kings. San Miguel enters the semifinals riding a 10-game winning streak, a remarkable turnaround after opening the conference with back-to-back losses.

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That surge included an 83–81 win over Ginebra during their lone elimination-round meeting in Dubai, as well as a composed 101–94 quarterfinal victory over NLEX powered by a dominant 20-point, 20-rebound showing from June Mar Fajardo.

“The Beermen are on a 10-game winning streak after starting the conference with a 0-2 record,” added Cone.

Ginebra, though, has quietly built its own rhythm. The overtime triumph against Converge capped a seven-game winning run, featuring two do-or-die victories against the twice-to-beat FiberXers—wins that reinforced the team’s resilience under pressure. For Cone, the Gin Kings’ path to the semifinals has only sharpened their edge.

“We know it’s going to be tough,” according to Cone.

“We don’t play until after the New Year. So we have to think about it, focus on it, and put a game plan all together.”

“The fact that we came from dead to the semifinals, we’re ecstatic about that.”

As the calendar turns and the stakes rise, Ginebra’s latest showdown with San Miguel feels less like a sequel and more like a test of evolution—two powerhouse teams, both peaking at the right time, with history waiting to be rewritten.

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