MANILA, Philippines -- The long gap between Games 2 and 3 of the 2022 PBA Commissioner's Cup finals is very much welcome for the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings and the Bay Area Dragons.

The best-of-7 series is tied at one game apiece, after Bay Area's 99-82 win in Game 2 last December 28.

Action returns on Wednesday, January 4, at the Mall of Asia Arena, with both teams looking to make their adjustments and claim the advantage.

For the Gin Kings, this means recalibrating their defense after they allowed Bay Area to shoot 50% in Game 2. Four players scored in double digits for the Dragons, led by Andrew Nicholson with 30 and Zhu Songwei with 25. Hayden Blankley, after managing just four points in Game 1, made seven of 10 shots for 17 points in Game 2; Kobey Lam added 11 markers.

• GAME RECAP: Bay Area weathers Ginebra charge to tie Finals

"They made the proper adjustments tonight. They really disrupted our offense and we couldn't get to our spots. Did a good job on Justin [Brownlee, making him a volume shooter. And they were getting to the rim this time. Last game, they didn't get to the rim," Cone observed.

"So, it's a lot to look at. Good news is, we got time. We got time to get [to] turn around and refocus and get ready for the next game," he added. "It's gonna be a fun series. They're tough, man."

Ginebra guard Scottie Thompson also noted that the break will be crucial as it will afford them some rest. The reigning league Most Valuable Player has been on the court for close to 40 minutes in the first two games;, while Brownlee is averaging 43 minutes in the same span.

"'Yung mga naglalaro ng heavy minutes, makapagpahinga din, especially si Justin. So, good thing na talagang medyo matagal pa 'yung next game," he said.

This is also the concern of Bay Area coach Brian Goorjian, who has kept a relatively short rotation in the finals and played Nicholson over 46 minutes in Game 2.

• READ: Bay Area's Zhu relishes match-up with Brownlee

"I'm not playing too deep into the bench. We very much rely on Nicholson, and Nicholson played every minute until it was over," he said.

"We can grow and we really got the time to freshen up and make more adjustments," he added.

The Dragons have remained active through the six-day gap between games as they look to sustain the momentum from their win.

"We just wanna stay locked in," said Zhu. "Keep executing on the court and make sure we play like what we've been working on in our practice."

"We'll just get right back to business," added Nicholson, as the Dragons took only December 29 off before returning to work. "The series is not over yet. There's still five more games in the series left, so we'll just see what happens."

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