TNT's signature defense, combined with a potent offense, took center stage in a lopsided 99-72 victory over Ginebra on Wednesday and put them one win away from repeating as Governors' Cup champions.
A masterful second quarter by TNT spelled the difference as they scored 30 points and limited Ginebra to 13 -- showcasing the defensive intensity they have prided themselves on throughout the conference. This commitment to defense not only stifled Ginebra's scoring but also fueled TNT's offense, as they were able to dictate the tempo.
TNT pounces on Ginebra's lackluster defense
In the first few games of the series, TNT was successful in generating offense with the two-man game between Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Jayson Castro. Ginebra solved that puzzle in Games 3 and 4 by hedging or blitzing the ball screen, which forced the other players who were helped off to hit shots. But for Game 5, it felt like TNT found a new way to tap the effectiveness of the pick-and-roll, paired with some defensive mishaps by Ginebra.
The wrinkle that head coach Chot Reyes employed was to make their guards and wings screen for Castro more often. Ginebra struggled with TNT's perimeter players who can quickly take a wide-open shot as they tried to keep their base coverage intact and focused on Hollis-Jefferson and TNT's bigs. Ginebra had a hard time rotating when two players were on Castro -- evidenced by a 44% (11-25) clip from rainbow country.
Meanwhile, when the defense was able close out in these situations, TNT was not afraid to take it hard to the basket and controlled the points in the paint (40-22) as well. The true essence of the dribble drive offense was personified in this game, as TNT was able to get paint touches and spray it to the perimeter when Ginebra showed help.
Looking at Ginebra's game plan, the blitzes and hedges might have worked by neutralizing Hollis-Jefferson, as he only scored 16 points on a lowly 48.1 TS%. But the consequence bit them hard in this game, with RR Pogoy and Calvin Oftana combining for 31 points powered by their five triples made.
TNT's defense comes alive
Time and again, TNT has proven itself as the top defensive team of the conference, thanks largely to Hollis-Jefferson and Reyes' adjustments.
Reyes' decision to start Kelly Williams in Game 5 was key. Despite being one of the league's elder statesmen, Williams demonstrated that he can still deliver on defense and altered Justin Brownlee's and Japeth Aguilar's rhythm.
"We've been together for a long time. I just told him that I'm going to trust you to come in because we need Kelly Williams for us to compete against a tough Ginebra [team]," Reyes on his decision to start Williams.
Since Ginebra spammed more pick-and-rolls for Brownlee in Game 4, inserting Williams enabled TNT to switch big to big ball screens comfortably. Reyes knew Williams has the strength to keep up and offer better stability than having Erram on an island against Brownlee.
This move disrupted Ginebra's offensive flow in general and limited the prolific import to just eight points. To put into perspective how good TNT's defense was, it's only the first time Brownlee scored less than double digits since he entered the PBA in 2016.
"We just need to be ready. He's going to come hard as is the entire Ginebra team, so we need to make sure to stay on our toes and be prepared for a big [Ginebra] fight back in the next game," Reyes said about how he thinks Brownlee and Ginebra will bounce back after the loss.
Overall, Ginebra shot just 32% from the field and 24% (7-29) from 3-point range -- a far cry from their strong performance in Game 4. As they adopted a more deliberate offensive approach, it felt from the start that TNT had already figured out how to lock them down in the half court.
Going into the next game, the question for both teams will be whether Ginebra shifts back to a transition-heavy style to avoid TNT's set defense, or if that adjustment will play into TNT's hands, fueling their offense as one of the conference's top fastbreak teams.