Cone surprised with Ginebra’s 2-0 lead vs SMB

TIM Cone admitted he and his gritty Barangay Ginebra squad are surprised to be up, 2-0 in their PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup best-of-five quarterfinal series against powerhouse San Miguel Beermen (SMB). The Gin Kings took the series-opener, 104-95, followed by a 126-99 annihilation of the Beermen in Game 2 to move them within a victory from advancing to the semifinals. “Is everyone as surprised as I am about this?” said Cone, visibly in disbelief of how seemingly easy Ginebra has handled SMB through the first two games of the series. “We didn’t even dream that we would be able to get out, even 1-1, much less 2-0.” With solid team play and defense as Ginebra’s trump card, the Gin Kings were smoking from the field en route to finishing Game 2 with a hot 55.1-percent shooting. Ginebra also outrebounded San Miguel, a team that boasts of nine-time league Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo, 48-30, while the team also enjoyed a massive 32-14 advantage in assists department. Import Jordan Murphy has also found his rhythm as evidenced by his near triple-double effort of 33 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Ginebra’s backcourt pair of RJ Abarrientos and Scottie Thompson delivered all-around numbers, too, while Stephen...