TNT Tropang Giga finished off Meralco Bolts, 107-92, in Game 4 of their best-of-five PBA Governors' Cup semifinal series to set up a dream finals against Barangay Ginebra.
After a tight first half, the Tropang Giga gained some separation in the third quarter which they opened with a 9-0 run that gave them a 62-49 edge. The Bolts kept coming back, but the Tropang Giga kept them at bay each time.
For Tropang Giga coach Jojo Lastimosa, it was all about offensive balance.
"The players understand the situation that if they needed to step up, the guys answer the call and we know that somebody's due other than Mikey," said Lastimosa, who will be coaching in the finals in his very first stint as head coach -- albeit in interim capacity.
"It could be Calvin (Oftana). Tonight it was Calvin. Calvin was hot tonight. He had 18 or 20 in the first half. Roger (Pogoy) picked it up a little bit. Jayson (Castro) was there. So we needed everybody to step in because in the playoff situation, points are gonna be hard to come by and you're gonna need to grind out.
"Rondae (Hollis-Jefferson) had an excellent scoring night tonight as usual, but he was helped by his teammates and he was able to pass on some occasions and that was a big help."
Bolts coach Norman Black admitted that they couldn't solve the Tropang Giga's offense.
"They played really well tonight," Black said. "Some of the shots they made were amazing shots. Mikey Williams played well again tonight. Their import was force and when they have everything clicking, they are a tough team and very difficult to beat."
"(TNT) showed that they deserve to be in the championship. I think they really outplayed us tonight. They showed how talented they are. They are one of the more talented teams in the league."
Here are thoughts on the game, what's next for the Bolts, and the upcoming Governors' Cup Finals.
Stay calm and breathe
The game was chippy at times, which was to be expected since the Bolts were fighting to keep their season alive.
Hollis-Jefferson knew what was coming and tried to be a calming presence for his team.
"Before the game we talked about it possibly coming down to something like this and I gave a quote," said Hollis-Jefferson, who was again magnificent with 42 points.
"I like to give quotes. Yeah, so a deep breath is the nervous system's best friend. So we talked about staying calm, staying poised and expecting the unexpected. We did a good job of that."
"I don't know if you guys can tell, like the last couple games, we've been really poised, really calm. Trying to stay together, trying to stay locked in.
"And that's about how you control your breathing. You control your breathing, you control your life. And we've been doing a really good job of that."
Bolts go on vacation
The Bolts will now join nine other teams on the sidelines for a long off-season, although all teams are expected to participate in a series of exhibition games in May.
Black has no set schedule yet for when he wants to see his players back in the gym, even as he told them to hold their heads high.
"We made it to the semifinals but we couldn't get to the finals, so that's disappointing," admitted Black.
"Look at it the other way around, there's eight teams that have been on vacation for awhile. We've been playing, so like I told the players, 'Be proud of what you accomplished. You made it to the final four which is an accomplishment.' But of course it's disappointing because we just got eliminated tonight.
"It's been a long year. So certainly we'll give the players some time off. We have to be back in time to be ready physically for the exhibition games. I would think they're probably taking at least four weeks off before we start practicing again."
On to the finals
The TNT and Ginebra franchises have only met in the finals twice in league history, with TNT winning both times. The Tropang Giga won their lone elimination round game, but Lastimosa knows it means nothing.
"None," Lastimosa said. "Nothing other than that was the one win that brought us a twice-to-beat (advantage) and a number one seed. Like I said, any wins against Ginebra, especially in the elimination, count for nothing other than just one win."
This early, Lastimosa has his team the decided underdogs against his former coach, Tim Cone, and the crowd favorite Kings.
"I'm excited to see my former coach," said Lastimosa. "I have nothing to lose. Our team has nothing to lose.
"He's been there. He's done that and everything's riding for them and everybody's expecting that Ginebra will win this championship anyway. We're only here probably to spoil the party and hopefully we can come up with a good game like what we did here in this series. And we got Rondae on my side, so I'm okay with it.
"But going into this series, I like my chances. Our players are playing well and maybe you guys noticed that we've been winning games during our streak with scoring and right now we're defending really well. So I think the guys are going to be ready."
Black, now an interested spectator, expects a very good series between two very good teams, as he said: "You're going to have two of the most talented teams we have in the Philippines. They're going to be going up against each other, so it should be a good battle."