This looks familiar. Chot Reyes and Tim Cone. Justin Brownlee and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. TNT and Ginebra clash for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup crown.
For the second straight conference, the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings and the TNT Tropang Giga will dispute a PBA title when they clash in a best-of-seven series beginning this Monday for the Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup title.
In the previous conference, the Governors’ Cup, the Tropang Giga bested the Kings in six games. Both teams decided to stick with the same imports for this conference – Justin Brownlee for Barangay Ginebra and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for TNT – so their lineups are almost the same as last time.
No Blur
The operative word here is “almost”, as the Tropang Giga enter the finals without ace point guard Jayson Castro, who is out for the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury in the semifinals. The Gin Kings, meanwhile, now have a healthy Jamie Malonzo and Jeremiah Gray to boost their rotation.
TNT coach Chot Reyes said his team is doing its best to adjust to life without The Blur, who was averaging 10.6 points, 3.6 assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 52% from the field before he got injured.
“I’ve said this before. I don’t think anyone can fill in the shoes of Jayson,” he admitted during the finals press conference on Monday afternoon. “So we’re just asking all the other players to give in a little bit more and try to contribute a little more than what they usually do so that we can all try and make up for Jayson’s loss.
“That’s the best we can do, really, is to hope that the effort of the others is enough to cover for Jason not being here with us.”
Castro was last conference’s Finals MVP, so beyond his numbers, the Tropang Giga will be missing his leadership.
“Our ability to play at the high level without Jayson,” Reyes said when asked what he thought would be the series’ x-factor. “He was the last finals MVP. So it’s like taking that piece away is going to be a telling factor. Having said that, these other players that we had, we’re not going to sell them short. Because they’ve shown in the last series how well they can play even without Jason.
“But I’d be lying if we don’t admit that it will be a big factor.”
Chot vs. Tim
For the eighth time in their coaching careers, Chot Reyes and Tim Cone will face off in a PBA final. Reyes edged ahead, 4-3, following the Tropang Giga’s Commissioner’s Cup triumph, so their head-to-head will either go 5-3 in his favor or be deadlocked again.
It’s been well-documented that these two go way back, first teaming up on the defunct Alaska franchise in 1990, when Justin Brownlee was just two years old.
“I think Chot and I would both agree that we’ve been rivals since you left in the year, back in 19-forgotten. I don’t remember,” Cone said. “But yeah, there’s always been that rivalry.
“We’re friends, but we also know we’re competitors. And we like to compete. And I think irrespective of the teams we coach, we’ve always had great respect and really come out and compete with each other.
“It doesn’t change through the years. In fact, it just continues to get heightened the more we go along. I think the older we get, the more special these series become. So, I know we’re both looking forward to it.”
While Reyes acknowledged the friendly rivalry, he also pointed out that there is something bigger at stake here.
“Yeah, 35 years to be exact. My last team with Alaska was 1990, so that’s 35 years ago before I moved over to Purefoods (in 1993).
“So, like Tim said, I think the more important thing is the legacy that we leave. Hopefully, we’re two coaches who are not only coaching for the victory of our respective teams, but to really leave a mark and a legacy on Philippine coaching. And at the end, when all of this is said and done, hopefully, that’s something that we can both be proud of.”
Brownlee vs. RHJ
While Reyes and Cone duel on the sidelines, the main match-up to watch on the court will be between the imports Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Justin Brownlee.
This will be the fourth time the two face off with a title on the line, if you also count the gold medal game at the 2022 Asian Games. In the PBA setting, RHJ is up 2-0 in finals encounters, with both wins coming in the Governors’ Cup.
Interestingly, this is the first time the two will meet in a Commissioner’s Cup finals, a testament to both players’ skills sets since the height limit for imports in this conference is way above their shared height of six-foot-six.
“I didn’t think about it that way,” Cone said when it as pointed out to him. “But yeah, it’s true. Just the idea of continuity of these guys being in the league and knowing the league, being able to fit well with their respective teams.
“RHJ has just brought a tremendous mentality to the TNT team. He shows up every game. He shows up every quarter, every possession. And he just inspires his teammates. You can just see it on the floor all the time.
And for Justin, it’s that comfortability that we have with him. The confidence that we have in him, knowing he’s going to show up in big moments. Just being a great teammate. Just being one of the guys. Never asking for special treats. Never asking really for anything.
“Just two special players. We’re lucky at this time right now in the PBA to be able to witness these two guys go at each other. And these are momentous times. I think when we look back ten years from now, we’re going to be remembering these times. When the rivalry was big between Justin and RHJ.”
Hollis-Jefferson said he’s pumped about facing Brownlee again for all the marbles. “I’m looking forward to it. I think he’s excellent. I think he’s a phenomenal player.
“I didn’t get to play against Jamie last time. They added Gray as well. So, they got a couple different pieces that I feel like they played really well together. So, I’m looking forward to going against him and it being a great competitive match, giving you guys something to look forward to.”
For the second time in his PBA career, RHJ will be playing during Ramadan. As a practicing Muslim, he cannot eat or drink from sun-up to sundown. However, RHJ admits he did break his fast in the last game of the semifinals.
“I broke it. Because, as you get older, your body needs a lot more. I’m not that old, but I turned 30. I needed to eat something. I needed to hydrate.
“More importantly, I needed to hydrate. I’ll see how I feel going into game one. But, I’m going to err on the side that I’ll probably eat. Then, I’ll just make it up after Ramadan.”
Banner Images from PBA Media Bureau.