TNT Tropang Giga secured their second championship of the PBA's 49th season with a thrilling 87-83 overtime victory over Barangay Ginebra in the Commissioner's Cup. This marks Rondae Hollis-Jefferson's third title with TNT in four conferences and his first in the Commissioner's Cup. TNT head coach Chot Reyes adds an 11th PBA championship to his resume, his third in this conference.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds in over 52 minutes of action. He had a strong first half, as he had his way against Ginebra's switching defense. Ginebra head coach Tim Cone's decision to start Jamie Malonzo meant Hollis-Jefferson was able to use his strength and score closer to the basket.
Finals MVP Rey Nambatac continued his stellar play in this do-or-die game, delivering 22 points and four assists. He provided timely baskets and playmaking, keeping TNT's offense steady, especially in crunch time. His composure and clutch shot-making proved vital in holding off Ginebra's late-game push, solidifying his impact on the series and cementing his place in TNT's championship run.
But the most crucial of contributions came from unsung hero Glenn Khobuntin, who chipped in 14 points on 50% shooting from the field. As RR Pogoy was dealing with some injury in the latter stages of the game, Khobuntin made the most of the opportunities given to him by the defense. Since Khobuntin's someone Ginebra was comfortable helping off, the willingness of him to take those wide open looks paid off, draining two big triples in the fourth quarter and a drive via a late closeout by Ginebra's defense that was impactful in TNT's offense.
The main stars of TNT in Calvin Oftana and the aforementioned Pogoy had modest performances in Game 7, only combining for 19 points. However, Oftana scored eight out of his 10 points in the most opportune time, with two triples during TNT needed to come back from Ginebra's lead in the fourth quarter and the game-sealing layup to finish them off in overtime.
On the other hand, Ginebra will go back to the drawing board into the next conference, being empty-handed against TNT in three tries in the finals. It is also the first Game 7 loss of import Justin Brownlee in his nine-year PBA career with Ginebra.
Brownlee almost saved the day for Ginebra with 28 points for the game, none bigger than the game-tying triple he had to send the game to overtime. For the thousands of Ginebra fans in the arena, it was reminiscent of the big shots that he has made throughout the years. Unfortunately, TNT's defense clamped him down the stretch that made Ginebra's offense dry in extra time, which resulted in his third consecutive finals loss against import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
It's also worth noting that Ginebra had a six minute dry spell, where they only had a single free throw during the 7:05 mark up until the 1:16 mark in the fourth quarter. This enabled TNT to turn a five-point deficit to a three-point lead with less than two minutes left in regulation.
In those minutes, what was evident for Ginebra was the amount of turnovers they had. Six out of the 24 turnovers came in that important part of the game, arguably the point where the game went wayward for them.
Even though three locals scored in double figures for Ginebra, the offensive struggles of the team in crunch time proved to be an achilles heel they endured for this finals series. Whether TNT's familiarity with Ginebra's triangle offense or just this structured offense was not able to generate scoring advantages, changes should be implemented - especially having a loaded squad as what they currently have.
TNT now has the chance to complete a Grand Slam for this season, with a chance to clinch it by winning the upcoming Philippine Cup that starts April 9. The last team to achieve this feat was then the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers in 2014.