THE TNT Tropang Giga are back-to-back PBA Governors’ Cup champions.

Two-time Best Import awardee Rondae Hollis-Jefferson made sure about it.

Hollis-Jefferson scattered a game-high 31 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists as the Tropang Giga rallied to beat Barangay Ginebra, 95-85, and retain the title before another big crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Hollis-Jefferson’s game-long brilliance included five points in a back-breaking 12-0 run by TNT that turned the game around from 63-74 deficit and silenced the pre-dominantly pro-Ginebra crowd.

More importantly, the win enabled the Manny V. Pangilinan franchise to clinch its 10th championship since joining the league in 1990.

“It took a lot of belief from top to bottom, believing we can do it, trusting in our process. And everything, all the work we put in, paid off,” said Hollis-Jefferson, who opened the fourth period with back-to-back baskets enroute to 10 fourth-quarter points.

“Chot said we didn’t come this far just to come this far and we got the championship,” added Hollis-Jefferson, who also got ample scoring support from Finals MVP Jayson Castro, RR Pogoy and Rey Nambatac.

Castro, one of the most-experienced players on the floor, came through with 13 points as did Pogoy.

Castro, now 38, won the PBA Finals MVP honor for the third time in his career and his first in 13 years.

Pogoy also stepped up for the Tropang Giga as he put the final nail to Ginebra’s coffin with a dagger three-point shot with less than a minute left.

TNT coach Chot Reyes, who also captured his 10th PBA crown, paid tribute to Ginebra and coach Tim Cone for a well-fought series.

“I would like to give credit to Coach Tim (Cone) and the entire Ginebra organization. It was a hell of a series, especially this last Game 6. Coach Tim made a lot of adjustments at the start, great coaching moves at the start,” said Reyes, who also earned his first championship with TNT since coming back to the team last season and 10th overall counting championships with Purefoods/Coney Island and Coca-Cola.

It was a sad day for Ginebra.

The loneliest man in the dugout was rookie sensation RJ Abarrientos, who exploded for a career-high 31 points, including 18 points in the second quarter alone.

All for naught.

The setback also prevented Brownlee, Ginebra’s “Heart and Soul”, from claiming his seventh title, which would have made him the winningest import in PBA history.

Brownlee won four of his six championships in the Governors’ Cup but lost the last two editions to Hollis- Jefferson and TNT.

With Abarrientos leading the attack, the Gin Kings took a 43-42 advantage at halftime before jumping into several double-digit leads in the third period.

Ginebra also led, 74-63, entering the final quarter.

But while Ginebra appeared poised to bring the series to a deciding seventh game, Hollis-Jefferson buckled down to work.

The scores:

TNT (95) – Hollis-Jefferson 31, Castro 13, Pogoy 13, Nambatac 12, Oftana 8, Khobuntin 7, Aurin 5, Williams 4, Erram 2, Exciminiano 0.
Ginebra (85) – Abarrientos 31, Brownlee 16, Holt 12, Ahanmisi 9, J.Aguilar 8, Thompson 6, Cu 3, Mariano 0, Pinto 0.
Quarterscores : 21-16, 42-43, 63-74, 95-85.

The results:

Game 1: TNT 104, Ginebra 88
Game 2: TNT 96, Ginebra 84
Game 3: Ginebra 85, TNT 73
Game 4: Ginebra 106, TNT 92
Game 5: TNT 99, Ginebra 72
Game 6: TNT 95, Ginebra 85.
(TNT wins series, 4-2)

AUTHOR PROFILE

Robert Andaya