After a tough four-game series filled with ups and downs, defending champions TNT and challengers Barangay Ginebra head into today’s tiebreaker, both teams holding fast to the mantra: “Not too high, not too low.”
For Ginebra, it’s about staying grounded after two consecutive wins that leveled the PBA Governors’ Cup finals from an initial 0-2 deficit. For TNT, it’s the challenge of rebounding from back-to-back losses in Games 3 and 4, which stalled their momentum and prevented them from closing in on a repeat title after their strong opening.
“For us right now, never too high, never too low. ‘Yung hunger namin nandon pa rin dapat and hopefully ma-turn around namin ‘yung series,” said Ginebra star Scottie Thompson.
Coach Tim Cone echoed Thompson’s sentiment, saying, “All we did was tie the series. It’s zero-zero now, (a virtual) best of three. So we can’t live off the last two games and just feel good about that. We got to stay forward-moving and forward-thinking.”
TNT coach Chot Reyes looks to shift the series momentum back in their favor in the crucial fifth game, set for 7:30 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“Definitely, they have the momentum. But it’s the same thing with us. We had the momentum after (the first) two games and now we shifted,” said Reyes.
Led by Best Import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, TNT’s staunch defense powered them to a strong start, winning Game 1 with a score of 104-88, and following it up 96-84 in Game 2. However, Ginebra, backed by Justin Brownlee, retaliated with wins in Games 3 and 4, 85-73 and 106-92, respectively, to even the series.
In Game 4, Brownlee found his rhythm from beyond the arc, while teammates Stephen Holt and Maverick Ahanmisi added critical support. Holt took on the role of defending Hollis-Jefferson and tallied 18 points along with five steals, while Ahanmisi contributed 18 points, including two three-pointers.
“They’re really finding their groove, they’re being able to make great reads on their offense and executing their offense well. So it’s incumbent upon us to be able to play better defense,” Reyes noted after Ginebra broke the 100-point mark for the first time in the finals series.
He added, “And we need some of our other guys, especially our bench to step up and we hope that we can be better on defense so that we can still have a chance in this.”
