IT'S green and go for the grudge rematch between regular PBA Governors' Cup championship protagonists Barangay Ginebra and Meralco.
Taking the cue from the defending champion Gin Kings, the Bolts secured their fourth finals appearance of the last five Governors' Cup editions with a thundering 94-81 closeout of semifinal opponent Magnolia in Friday night's Game 5 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Meralco's local crew led by Allein Maliksi took the cudgels in swinging momentum into its side and taking the fight out of the Hotshots with a 53-35 exchange in the second half.
The Bolts' 3-2 semis triumph set them up for Round 4 against the Gin Kings, getting a fresh shot at revenge against their tormentors in previous faceoffs in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
"It's on to Ginebra, again," Meralco coach Norman Black said after hurdling the top-seeded Hotshots, who fell apart after import Mike Harris hobbled out with an injury in the last 8:56.Game 1 of the race-to-four finals begin on Wednesday also at the Big Dome.
"I've never beaten Tim before, maybe this will be the right time to get it done. We've been meeting a lot lately and he's been on the winning end everytime," said Black.
Tony Bishop posted only eight markers but had eight rebounds and three assists and provided other intangibles.
"It's really the will to win. We talked about just playing for one another, winning for one another," said Black, whose team also got the job done while ace playmaker Chris Banchero sat out due to back spasm.
"I don't think anybody was really distracted because Tony wasn't scoring. He's still hustling defensively, trying to get rebounds. There's just a little bit balancing on offense, wherein we didn't rely solely on our import," said Black.Calvin Abueva (21) and Paul Lee (13) showed the way for the fallen Hotshots as Harris managed only five markers. (OL)
The scores:
Meralco 94 - Maliksi 24, Almazan 18, Newsome 17, Black 16, Bishop 8, Caram 4, Quinto 4, Hodge 3, Hugnatan 0, Baclao 0, Canete 0, Belo 0.
Magnolia 81 - Abueva 21, Barroca 11, Lee 13, Jalalon 11, Sangalang 10, Dela Rosa 6, Harris 5, Wong 2, Corpuz 1, Reavis 1, Brill 0, Dionisio 0, Escoto 0.
Quarters: 23-29, 41-46, 62-65, 94-81