Why Barangay Ginebra Will Be the Champion Tonight!

Kudos to Meralco But this Trophy Belongs to Ginebra

The headline after game 6, if  Meralco Bolts Starters fail to contribute as Norman Black hoped for.

Before we get started, take your cellphone flashlights up and let's walk down the memory lane to last year's Ginebra championship run against the same team they are facing today.

If history repeats itself then we better charge our cell phone batteries as we get ready for darkness because Meralco will be shut down tonight. 

As Ginebra faithfuls reminisce the memory of last year's fateful night, it does, on the other hand, haunt the Bolts fans. Tonight, the game 6 of the 2017 PBA Governors Cup is a chance for Ginebra to defend the title and accomplish a feat that has never been done by the franchise. A back to back championship. On the flipside, Meralco is looking to extend the series and prevent history from repeating itself.

October 25, 2017, 7 pm, at the Philippine Arena, get ready for a stream of heavy traffic and basketball fun as this basketball-crazy country unite at one of the biggest arenas in the world for a possible last game of the 2017 PBA season. With the best of seven series at 3-2 in favor of Ginebra, the 55,000 capacity arena may be put to test as they try to conclude the series today.

We talked about a lot of stats in our previous articles but today we will give you our analysis mostly based on gut feeling and observation. We know we are taking a risk on this but we equally love to get those hate messages.

Why Ginebra will win today?

I personally think Ginebra will secure the win today! I know that Tim Cone and his crew are treating game 6 as a do or die game much like how Meralco will be playing tonight, the only difference is Ginebra has been really the better team in the series even during their losses. Even at the time Meralco last won in the series, Ginebra was shooting better. 

While Meralco's got a number of talents on their roster, it isn't exactly working as Norman Black hoped for especially in the last game when none of the starters of the team were able to produce double-digit scoring contribution. Ginebra, on the other hand, has been enjoying the benefits of having a deep and tall line up that steps up when it's number is called. Take for example Greg Slaughter stepping up for Japeth Aguilar, Mark Caguiao providing a spark, so on and so forth.

Tim Cone also looked like he is ready to die for a championship as he emphatically shows appreciation and frustrations to players on the sideline. In the last game, Tim Cone was seen throwing a chair during the huddle as if to show his dismay and at the same time his desire to not let go of the situation.

Lastly, we know Ginebra will be banking on the crowd support that's evidently always there for them. A win tonight will be a win for the majority of basketball fans in the Philippines.

How can  Meralco extend the series?

While I think Ginebra will get it done tonight, Meralco could still come up with a jolt of power which can extend the series but it would be much tougher than their first two wins. Meralco needs to be perfect and their starters need to be consistent especially from the outside. The Bolts cannot afford any short circuits. Durham needs to continue his exemplary basketball play and the locals need to complement him. 

If their outside shooting clicks for Meralco tonight, then they may have a chance of extending the series to a game 7, otherwise, it may already be lights out for them.