It appeared that the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals would be headed to a Game 7. But the defending champions TNT Tropang Giga had other things in mind.
The first five games of the Season 49 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals between the TNT Tropang Giga and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel were pretty straightforward and, quite frankly, lacking in drama. One team would control the tempo throughout the game, with the other struggling to keep pace. There were no dramatic, down-the-wire endings.
In Game 6, with the Tropang Giga on the cusp of a second straight title, the two sides finally played a game worthy of a best-of-seven finals. It was by no means a classic, with TNT eventually winning by 10, 95-85, to claim their second straight Governors’ Cup crown, but there were plenty of momentum swings to at least make things exciting.
In the end, it was the TNT Tropang Giga who pulled off a big finishing kick, holding the Gin Kings scoreless over the last 4:57 and scoring the game’s last 12 points to wrap of the series in six and bring home their 10th PBA title.
Gratitude
If there’s one word that best sums up what Chot Reyes was feeling in the aftermath, it’s gratitude. Their road to the title was anything but smooth, even though they were a no. 1 seed and easily handled Rain or Shine in the semifinals. But they stuck to their game plan and stayed disciplined whenever they faced adversity.
“Well, first of all, I’d like to give credit to Coach Tim (Cone) and the entire Ginebra team, that organization,” Reyes said. “It was a hell of a series, especially this last game, game six. It was a hell of a game. Coach Tim made some great adjustments at the start, great coaching moves at the start.
“RJ (Abarrientos), we couldn’t stop him. He scored 30-plus points on us. Fortunately, we were able to get back to our DNA in that fourth quarter. But if you’re asking me what my reflections are about this victory, it’s just really the gratitude I feel for everything that’s transpired, everything that’s happened, especially gratitude to the trust and the effort of my players.
“That’s, I guess, the best way to summarize how I feel right now.”
Indeed, Reyes is most likely feeling very grateful that his players were able to rise up to the challenge, especially in the third quarter when Ginebra threatened to pull away and send the series to a Game 7 in Antipolo on Sunday. The Gin Kings, behind the rookie Abarrientos’ sterling offense and import Justin Brownlee’s aggressiveness, went ahead by double digits a few times in the second half, sending the pro-Ginebra crowd of over 16,000 into a frenzy.
But the Tropang Giga, led by Finals MVP Jayson Castro, displayed their championship DNA and gradually chipped away at the lead, eventually inching in front at 79-77 behind an RR Pogoy triple.
And even after Abarrientos struck back with a huge 4-point shot and a jumper that appeared to have swung the momentum for good towards Ginebra, TNT stayed the course, limiting Ginebra to just two points the rest of the way.
“We made the players realize that we were reverting to our problems in Games 2 and 3,” Reyes said. “Just some little technical issues with our defense, our stance, our proximity to our men, our ability to help each other. And that led to us giving up 32 points in that third quarter.
“So that’s all I spoke about in the huddle in between the third and fourth quarter. We spoke very little about offense.”
Once again, The Blur
Along with Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes, Jayson Castro is one of just three current TNT Tropang Giga players who were under Reyes during the team’s string of titles from 2009 to 2012. So it was no surprise that the veteran point guard known as The Blur would step up again when it mattered most.
Castro finished with 13 points, but his real value was his leadership and court smarts.
“Actually, the one who called our offense for the last quarter was Jayson,” Reyes said. “He was the one who suggested that we run a specific play, one of our old plays, for the fourth quarter because he read what was happening and how Ginebra was defending us. So, you know, that’s basically what happened. We just had to make those adjustments and fortunately, the players responded.”
Castro averaged 10.8 points and 5.2 assists in the finals and was named Finals MVP, the third time he was won the accolade. It’s a remarkable achievement considering he turned 38 in June and was going up against much younger Ginebra guards.
“If you take a look at the makeup of our team, you can see how important the role that Jayson plays,” Reyes said. “I guess him winning the finals MVP is just the feather on that cap.
“But he will be the first to tell you that he wouldn’t have gotten it without the effort and the help of his teammates. Jayson is that kind of person. He’s very low-key, but you can really trust that he’ll make the right decisions come crunch time.”
RHJ is just different
Of course, this TNT Tropang Giga championship could not have been won with the brilliant play of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who outplayed his counterpart Justin Brownlee throughout the whole series.
RHJ finished with 31 points and 16 rebounds, while Brownlee struggled again with his shot and scored only 16 points on 7-of-21 shooting. For the series, RHJ outscored Brownlee 155-118.
Reyes has coached dozens of imports throughout his PBA coaching career, and he was the first to admit that RHJ was “very different from the other imports I had. Kenny (Redfield)has his own strengths, same with Paul Harris. But Rondae is, I think, the only one of that caliber who has played in the NBA as a legitimate rotation player, but still came in very coachable, doing what it takes for the team to win.”
Reyes revealed that unlike other past imports with NBA pedigree who sometimes think highly of themselves, RHJ does many wondrous things to help build team chemistry.
“When we entered the finals, he hosted a team dinner at some restaurant in BGC. He’s the one who leads our breathing practice, our meditation before practices. He really does a lot of things outside the court as well. I guess that’s what sets him apart.”
Banner Images by Sid Ventura.