MANILA — Defending PBA Commissioner’s Cup champion Barangay Ginebra San Miguel has been dethroned after its semifinals exit yesterday.

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The Gin Kings were swept by brother squad, the San Miguel Beermen, and Ginebra star Christian Standhardinger said this was a matter of SMB just being the better team after the three games.

”They played a good series, coach Jorge Gallent did great, June Mar and all of those guys did great,” he told ABS-CBN News.

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“Their import [Bennie Boatwright], Marcio [Lassiter], Chris [Ross], man, everybody played a really good game.”

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”I feel like they would probably win the championship,” he added of his former team.

Still, he was all praises for the Tim Cone-mentored squad, especially since they still salvaged a semifinals spot even though they played without Justin Brownlee in a whole conference for the first time since JB joined the team in 2016.

“I think we played all out. This is definitely not an effort thing. I’m proud of my guys, and that we went out there and did what we can do,” expressed the former Finals MVP, noting how Ginebra never lacked in showing effort throughout the whole conference.

”We left it all out there,” he stressed. ”I think, the Ginebra thing, we went all out. I don’t wanna be result-oriented. Obviously, we all want to win it, but it’s just the action that you put in, then whatever outcome comes, you have to live with it.”

He then explained some adjustments that they had to make after playing with Tony Bishop, a reinforcement whom they previously defeated during the 2021-2022 Governors’ Cup finals.

”On the defensive end, it was similar,” he said.

“Remember, we had Justin, we don’t want to tire the imports out [on defense] because they are the person that carries us offensively,” noted C-Stand as he talked about how their locals usually do the heavy lifting on defense to complement Brownlee’s talents.

While they did the same with Bishop, it was a different story on the other end of the court, however.

In 15 games for Ginebra this conference, Bishop averaged 23.5 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. He did this while shooting 50.5% from the 2-point area, 31.3% from beyond the arc, and 79.6 from the foul line.

Meanwhile, Brownlee had these numbers in his last conference with the Gin Kings (21 games, 2022-23 PBA Governors’ Cup): 26.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 61.8% 2pt fg, 33.8 3pt fg, and 85.0% ft fg.

There were differences based on their offensive output, but Standhardinger said they still managed to adjust to their new roles after they had Bishop on board.

“We tried to learn and to adjust. Obviously, they are two different players. We did that, but unfortunately, it was not enough for this conference.”

“We can’t forget too, that with Justin, we have a lot of history, right? That was the first conference [with Tony]. With Justin, we had many conferences. We know how to play with each other,” he added.

He then pointed out how they eventually found the formula, but it was just too late for Ginebra. “We found that too, with Tony, but unfortunately, it was just not enough.”

Moving forward, the former Best Player of the Conference said he will be prioritizing rest for now before preparing for the Philippine Cup in March.

“I think I need to sit down first, watch our games, and figure out my adjustments,” Standhardinger said.

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