Tim Cone is wary of Converge ahead of PBA quarterfinals despite Barangay Ginebra’s twice-to-beat advantage

Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) powerhouse Barangay Ginebra San Miguel secured the final twice-to-beat advantage heading into the quarterfinals by cruising past the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 98–80, in their final elimination game on Sunday, June 15, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Barangay Ginebra finished the Philippine Cup elimination round third in the standings with an 8–3 win-loss record, setting up a quarterfinal clash with longtime rivals, the Converge FiberXers.

Despite holding the twice-to-beat edge, Ginebra head coach Tim Cone is wary of Converge’s formidable frontline, acknowledging the strength of big men Justine Baltazar and Justin Arana.

TO THE PLAYOFFS, THEY GO

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel clinched the final twice-to-beat bonus and secured the fourth spot after defeating the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the #PBASeason49 Philippine Cup eliminations. | RM Chua/One Sports#PBAAngatAngLaban

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— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) June 15, 2025

“They have two really solid bigs who are really hard to match up with. We know them a little bit because we’ve already played them. Japeth Aguilar played a huge game back then, and he’s going to need to do that again to battle those two bigs,” Cone said during a press conference.

“The bottom line is, we’re just going to prepare ourselves and try to win one game. We’re not thinking about the twice-to-beat. We’re just thinking about that one game. Before we talk about the Finals, we need to win this game on Friday. Anything beyond that is something we’re not focusing on yet. We need to prepare as best we can,” he added.

Ginebra enters the matchup in top form, having won six of their last seven games, including their final three. Their recent victories over the Magnolia Hotshots, TNT Tropang Giga, and Rain or Shine have built strong momentum heading into the quarterfinals.

The two teams will face off on Friday, June 20, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

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