The rivalry continues

By: Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

For all the marbles.

This 2019-2020 PBA Governor’s Cup, two teams meet for the third time in their head-to-head finals rivalry matchup.

Will the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel sweep the hungry Meralco Bolts in their finals series matchup, 3-0?

During the last two conferences when these two teams met, the Ginebra squad broke Meralco’s hearts and prevented them from taking their very first title in their team’s franchise.

This year, with a new set of promising young men, the Bolts have surrounded themselves with the roster that put them back to the finals again.

High-flying guard Chris Newsome improved his perimeter game, while young stopper Cliff Hodge sacrificed half of his playing minutes for the team’s deeper rotation.

Bong Quinto, the team’s hardworking rookie, finally broke out of his shell and delivered solid performances in the semifinals against the TNT Katropa.

A new addition to the roster, versatile big man Raymond Almazan, earned his minutes right away with his defensive prowess and intensity underneath.

Ilonggo Anjo Caram proved to be one of the most solid back-up point guards in the PBA with his immediate impact defensively and offensively whenever he’s on the court.

On the other hand, the Tim Cone led squad still has the core they had since the last two championship meetings.

Japeth Aguilar and Greg Slaughter have been on a tear and showed they are one of the most lethal front-court duos in the league.

The ever-reliable shooter Jeff Chan is still there, always trigger-ready in the elbow and the corner.

Energy guy Scottie Thompson is still pulling insane rebounding numbers every night, and his back-court buddy, LA Tenorio, is still one of the most feared and respected guards in league history.

Justin Brownlee of GSM and Allen Durham of the Bolts will surely put out monster numbers for their respective teams and is expected to give their all for the coveted title.

Who you got? Bolts, or GSM?