Ginebra, TNT to push harder

MANILA, Philippines — No matter how advantageous their situations are in the PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals, both TNT and defending champion Barangay Ginebra aren’t going to rest easy against their sibling rivals.

The Tropang Giga cruised to a 110-80 rout of Meralco in Game 1 but coach Jojo Lastimosa was quick to remind his troops of what the Bolts are capable of in a high-stakes best-of-five showdown like this.

“First game (loss) for them is nothing new. They lost one first game before and won three straight over TNT so it’s not something they haven’t done before,” Lastimosa said, referring to the 2016 Final Four tussle, where Norman Black’s charges swept past the franchise after dropping the opener.

Lastimosa and Co. are determined not to give the current Bolts another opening like that and get on the hill instead when they tangle in Game 2 today at 4:30 p.m. at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

“They’re going to come out with energy. Meralco is a very hardworking team and nobody can outwork them. If we can match their intensity and energy especially on defense, we should be okay,” he said.

Ginebra mentor Tim Cone doesn’t want to get carried away by the Gin Kings’ emotional 121-112 verdict over San Miguel Beer in front of ailing skipper LA Tenorio as they shoot for a commanding 2-0 at 6:45 p.m.

“Long ways to go,” he said after overcoming the fourth-quarter storm of the Beermen, who wiped out their 15-point margin clean in the opening minutes of the final canto.