Questions answered from PBA Govs' Cup Finals Game 2

TNT is now halfway into clinching the PBA Governors' Cup title again. PBA Images

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--TNT moved up to 2-0 against Ginebra in the PBA Governors' Cup Finals, making the fans entertain the possibility that the Tropang Giga will sweep the Gin Kings in the best-of-seven series.

Needless to say, two games in, TNT probably has an idea now of how to beat Ginebra unless the never-say-die spirit of the latter shows up.

Can TNT decode Ginebra?

Coach Tim Cone feels he is "being outcoached and outclassed by Chot." PBA Images

As I mentioned above, it seems like TNT has decoded Ginebra at least in the first two games of the finals, and Gin Kings head coach Tim Cone conceded that coach Chot Reyes is getting the better of him.

"It doesn't take a genius to see what's going on: that I'm totally being outcoached and outclassed by Chot," Cone said.

"I feel bad for our players cuz I'm not helping them out at all."

Now, the pressure is on Ginebra, especially Cone, to right the ship if they want to stay alive in the championship hunt.

Now, let's break down what went down in Game 2.

Tried to get a bucket vs. TNT but it's empty

Once again, defense mattered for TNT in Game 2.

Despite a third-quarter scare from Ginebra, the PLDT franchise stifled them in the fourth, holding them to only 13 points.

Overall, the Gin Kings only shot 35.6 percent from the field, worse than the 39 percent they had in Game 1.

They were slightly better from long range this time, going 7-for-27 on the classic three-pointers, but still, 25.9 percent from long range is an eyesore.

Interestingly enough, despite scoring lower than in Game 1, the Tropang Giga were more fluid offensively in terms of sharing the ball, assisting on 27 occasions, whether a made field goal or free throw.

I can feel Rondae Hollis-Jefferson all around me

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson implied that he has already learned his lessons from how coach Tim Cone and the rest of Gilas denied him of an Asian Games gold. PBA Images

After relatively conservative Game 1 numbers, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson took flight for TNT in Game 2, firing 37 points with 13 rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and one block for a decent all-around performance.

The eye-popping stat, though, is that he was 6-of-12 on three-pointers, too impressive enough considering that he is more of a mid-range beast than a three-level scorer at least.

Hollis-Jefferson said that he worked on his long-range bombs after Cone exploited his outside shooting concerns during last year's Asian Games final between Gilas Pilipinas and Jordan.

"In the Asian Games, they forced me to shoot a lot of threes, and they beat us in the gold medal game. We talked about that, and I kinda just shifted my mindset. I knew that was going to be the game plan and they were willing to live with that the whole game," the Asiad silver medalist said.

"I'm a professional player. I work on it every day, and I believe in it. My teammates and coaches believe and they tell me to shoot."

Hollis-Jefferson's outside bombs made up nearly half of the Tropang Giga's 14 total made threes in Game 2.

What's your poison now, TNT?

Glenn Khobuntin stepped up big-time for TNT in Game 2. PBA Images

The "poison of the game" for TNT in Game 2 was Glenn Khobuntin.

Khobuntin, who has successfully slid to the wings after playing the four during his amateur days, had a perfect game with 13 points on 4-for-4 shooting from the field, including 3-of-3 threes.

"Glenn has been showing that all throughout," Reyes said.

Like Hollis-Jefferson, Khobuntin, who can be shifted to the two-guard position at times now, also made a conscious effort to improve his range.

"These are the shots the defense of Ginebra gives us, and we just step and capitalize," Reyes said.

Is RJ Abarrientos born to win?

Jayson Castro believes RJ Abarrientos will be the PBA's top point guard in three years. PBA Images

For the second straight game, RJ Abarrientos had to attend Jayson Castro's "seminar" on being a champion point guard.

Castro flashed his vintage brilliance anew with nine points, three rebounds, seven assists, and one block while helping in limiting Abarrientos to only seven points on 1-of-8 field goals.

The comparison further proved Abarrientos' Game 1 statement: "Marami pa akong kakaining bigas."

However, Castro downplayed it and implied that he is lucky that he is already a battle-tested veteran when Abarrientos arrived in the PBA.

"Mas magaling siya sa akin kasi kung makikita nyo yung rookie year ko at saka rookie year nya, mas high-level yung pagka-rookie nya," Castro said, factoring in the fact that Abarrientos won Rookie of the Year in the KBL in 2023.

For comparison, Castro averaged 10.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per game during the 2008-2009 season.

On the other hand, Abarrientos currently averages 13.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 0.8 steals per game.

At least 21 games in, Abarrientos is showing glimpses that he could be better than rookie Castro, and Castro believes that it might not take long before Abarrientos becomes the gold standard for Filipino point guards.

"For sure, maraming pahihirapan yung bata na yun. After 2-3 years, makikita natin kung paano nya ido-dominate yung guard position," Castro further said.

"Sobang gustong-gusto ko syang maglaro."

So, is RJ Abarrientos born to win? Even the former best point guard in Asia thinks so.

Game 3 lookahead

For the first time at least in a long while, the PBA will be playing right on All Saint's Night when both TNT and Ginebra collide again in Game 3 of the Governors' Cup Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Oftentimes, the league would not schedule games from Nov. 1-2 to give way for everyone in the community to visit their fallen loved ones.

However, the rush to finish the conference just in time for the November window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers prompted the rare Nov. 1 clash, and that means a quick time for both teams to move on from Game 2.

The question: Will the quick gap between Games 2 and 3 be too short enough for Ginebra to regain momentum or will the never-say-die spirit finally come back from the grave?

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