NorthPort faces 0-3 deficit against Ginebra in PBA semis

NorthPort faces an uphill battle in their PBA Commissioner's Cup semifinal series against Barangay Ginebra, trailing 0-3 after losing the first three games.

The Batang Pier must win Game Three to avoid a potentially insurmountable 0-3 deficit and a possible sweep.

In the elimination round, NorthPort defeated Ginebra, but coach Tim Cone's strategy in the semifinals has involved a much deeper rotation of players.

NorthPort's offensive output has dropped significantly in the semifinals, averaging 99.5 points compared to their elimination round average of 109.7 points.

The team's defense, which was already a weakness ranking 12th in the elims, has further deteriorated in the semifinals, allowing Ginebra to average 120.3 points per game.

Ginebra has been effective in exploiting NorthPort's defensive weaknesses, leading to an average of 36 assists per game in the series and a high field goal percentage of 52.3% to 52.7%.

Ginebra's outside shooting has also been outstanding, averaging 13.3 three-pointers in the semis, while NorthPort is making 6.7 per game.

Ginebra is also dominating the boards, averaging 52.3 rebounds compared to NorthPort's 37.