Gray will keep himself ready for Gin Kings

Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings’ Jeremiah Gray. –PBA IMAGES

Barangay Ginebra may have come up short against TNT in Game 2 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals, but the Gin Kings found a bright spot in Jeremiah Gray’s performance at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Gray delivered a strong effort off the bench in Ginebra’s 101-94 loss, which allowed TNT to even the best-of-seven championship series at 1-1.

The showing, however, did not come as a surprise to the versatile guard.

For Gray, it was simply a matter of staying prepared.

“Ginebra’s such a deep team, so whenever our number is called, we always have to be ready,” Gray told the Inquirer.

“Hopefully, in the next game, we get ready from the beginning—from the starters to the bench—so we can get the win next time.”

Encouraging performance

Gray logged 30 minutes and finished with 13 points, three rebounds and one assist.

While his effort was not enough to pull Ginebra out of a deep hole, he played a key role in the Gin Kings’ late rally.

Trailing by as many as 22 points, Ginebra mounted a fourth-quarter charge behind Gray and the second unit, trimming TNT’s lead to just four before running out of time.

Despite the encouraging performance, Gray said he has no plans to alter his routine ahead of Game 3.

“I’ll keep doing what I’ve been doing,” he said. “I’ve been staying ready the whole year, so I won’t change anything.

“I’ll spend time with my family, get some good sleep, eat some good food and be ready for Sunday.”

“We’re expecting TNT to make adjustments, and we’ll make adjustments too.”

Gray and the Gin Kings will try to regain the series lead when they face the Tropang 5G in Game 3 on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena. INQ