MANILA, Philippines – The Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings are drawing strength from their title-winning campaign in the 2016 PBA Governors Cup as they continue their march in the 2017 All-Filipino Cup.

Ginebra advanced to the conference semifinals on Tuesday after a 108-97 win over Alaska, as they shattered the Aces' twice-to-beat advantage to set up a "Manila Clasico" series against the Star Hotshots.

It was already an impressive feat for a Ginebra squad that struggled to play with consistency to start the All-Filipino Cup. The Gin Kings alternated wins and losses in their first seven games, before entering the quarterfinals having won three of their last four elimination round games.

"We knew we were going to get off to a slow start this conference," Ginebra coach Tim Cone admitted after their win over Alaska. "We kept telling our players that we don't have to be great now, we just have to be good."

"But there comes a time, at the end of the eliminations, where you have to be great."

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Cone explained that their brief recovery period from a tough campaign in the Governors' Cup heading into the Philippine Cup made things "very difficult."

It could have been worse, as their Finals opponent, the Meralco Bolts, missed out on the playoffs entirely after winning only three games in the eliminations.

"We always talked about the process and moving forward, and I think we did that, even though we fell behind in the standings," Cone said.

They were unable to avoid playing a team with a twice-to-beat edge, but it was in this situation that the lessons from their Governors' Cup campaign were most useful for the Gin Kings.

"I think the experience of playing big games, the experience of playing big crowds, learning how to use the crowd in your favor and not get nervous or whatever when the crowd is there – I think we really learned those lessons last series," Cone said.

"We were able to bring it back today," he added.

One of the biggest lessons that the Gin Kings learned in the Governors' Cup was how to respond to the crowd in a positive way. Ginebra and Meralco played in front of record crowds in the Finals, and while there was a time that the Gin Kings would be intimidated by their own fans, that time has now passed.

"Now, we've learned to embrace them," said Cone of the fans who packed the Ynares Center in Antipolo on a Sunday, and the Araneta Coliseum on a Tuesday night, just to cheer for the perennial crowd favorites.

"We learned to understand that they're such a huge weapon for us," added Cone. "In a series like this, when you're fatigued after winning the first game, the crowd just keeps you moving and keeps you pumped up."

It is an "unnatural push" that he has never experienced while coaching for other teams, and Cone is hoping to receive that same push and support when the Gin Kings play the Star Hotshots in the semifinals.

"The last time I did it (a Manila Clasico in the semis), I was on the other side," he said. "We had a semifinal against Ginebra, and it went seven games."

"I think we broke all kinds of records during that series. So it was a fun series then, and now that I'm on the other side, I'm looking forward to it," Cone added.

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