Advertisement

Breaking down the last 40 seconds of Ginebra-San Mig Game 5

In the turn game of the series between the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings and the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers, LA Tenorio had one of the worst 30 seconds of his illustrious career. Tenorio, one of the smartest players in the PBA today, missed a potentially game tying layup and then missed on a buzzer beating layup attempt when his team needed a three to tie.

No one know what was on Tenorio’s mind during the final seven seconds of the game. He respectfully asked the media to let him make up for the mistake before he talks to them again. Did he forget the Mixers were up two or did he want to go for a layup and a foul? We won’t know until after Game 6.

But right now, we can break down the last plays leading to that fateful decision.

With 40 seconds left in the game, the Mixers were up by a single point 75-74. All who watched the game either at the venue or on TV remember that Chris Ellis made what could be the biggest shot of his life; a jumper over the outstretched arms of Joe Devance and the 22.9 second mark of the game. Very few on the other hand remember how it go there.

The play started with pick and roll action between Tenorio and Greg Slaughter. The Mixers switched as Tenorio drove in.

Devance, Ellis’ defender, sagged down the middle to help which gave the high flier some space.

Tenorio then made the perfect pass and Ellis responded with a jumper. After the game some people said that Tenorio was a ball hog but this play shows that this is really not the case. the Ginebra point guard is a willing passer at any point in the game.

Down by one point at 76-75, Tim Cone designed another pretty play which the Mixers ran to perfection.

“Pop, right here,” Cone instructed Marc Pingris to take the inbound pass. “Mark, you come on over. Joe you to the corner. PJ pop out.”

Cone then drew a line towards the center of Ginebra’s defense. “See what you can get,” Cone told Barroca.

“Screen down here for James,” Cone told Pingris. “You can go to the back if you don’t have anything,” Cone told Barroca.



Pingris took in the inboud pass and handed it over to Barroca. The guard faked a cut to the basket before getting the hand-off.

He drove to the basket the same way Tenorio did in the play before. Note how Mac Baracael’s attention was attracted by the driving Barroca. This split second spent away from James Yap was all the Mixers needed.



Barroca made the pass and Yap made the three.

“They’re in penalty make sure you go hard,” said Ginebra head coach Ato Agustin during his last timeout. “LA, tignan mo yung mga shooter nasa corner.” Tenorio then asked if the coach wanted him to drive or to shoot a three. “Drive and kick,” Agustin replied.

As requested, Tenorio got the hand off from Slaughter.

Tenorio drove to his right but Barroca was hot on his heels. Pingris also left his man, Aguilar, to help out on the driving point guard. Alex Mallari then sagged down to get Aguilar and prevent Tenorio from completing a drop pass.

It was too much for Tenorio who missed the layup. Justin Melton was fouled but he only managed a split from the line to give Ginebra one last shot at extending the game.

With seven seconds left in the game, Ginebra no longer hand a timeout to burn. Tenorio took the inbound pass and ran upcourt for what everyone expected would be a triple attempt.



When he got to the halfcourt line, the Mixers could have opted to foul. With no timeouts left, they could have forced Tenorio to make two free throws instead of getting a three point shot off.



However, Tenorio drove deeper. At this point, Pingris sagged in which left Japeth Aguilar wide open. Baracael also made himself available for a pass on the other side of the court. At this point, we see just how difficult it is to know exactly what’s happening on the court. Pingris had no business defending a driving Tenorio. He should have just let the point guard make a layup instead of risking fouling him for an and-1.



But the defense of Barroca and Pingris was too much for the layup to have a chance of going in. the time expired as the San Mig Super Coffee fans celebrated while the Ginebra fans wondered what they just saw.

Tenorio refused to talk. He wants to answer all questions on the court where he made his mistake. His teammates, however, potected their lead point guard. They win as a team, the lose as a team.

In the end, San Mig head coach Tim Cone said it as eloquently as anyone could. LA Tenorio is indeed one of the smartest players in the country. “You get caught up in the moment. I wasn't also sure if we're up by 2 or 3,” Cone said. “LA's one of the smartest players I've been around.”

Contrary to those on Twitter questioning his inclusion in Gilas because of one mistake, I think Tenorio deserves a pass not just from Ginebra fans but from everyone. Most Ginebra faithful still have complete trust in Tenorio.

You can bet your bottom peso that Mark Barroca, Justin Melton, and the rest of the Mixers also have complete trust that Tenorio will be gunning for those 30-point, 12-assist nights for Game 6. You have to remember that Tenorio has Ginebra blood running through his veins. You have to understand that when they are backed into a corner, when they're at the brink of losing, these Kings play their best and show their good old never-say-die.