TNT joins Finals party

TNT has made it to a fifth Finals appearance in the last eight conferences, including this PBA Governors’ Cup and interim head coach Jojo Lastimosa, filling in for Chot Reyes who’s taken a leave to focus on Gilas, faces the challenge of leading the Tropa to a third championship since the 2014-15 Commissioner’s Cup.

Barangay Ginebra reached the Finals ahead, sweeping San Miguel Beer in their semifinal duel. TNT formalized its entry via a 107-92 win over Meralco to end their series, 3-1, last Friday and book the second ticket to the Last Dance. This will be the fourth Finals meeting between the powerhouse teams. The first was in the 2004-05 Philippine Cup where Ginebra won, 4-2. Then, TNT returned the favor by repulsing Ginebra, 4-2, for the 2010-11 Commissioner’s Cup trophy. They battled again in the 2020 Philippine Cup where Ginebra won, 4-1. Ginebra has won four of the last six championships while TNT’s most recent triumph was in the 2021 Philippine Cup where the Tropa defeated Magnolia, 4-1. TNT has never won a Governors’ Cup crown, losing twice in the Finals as Mobiline in 1998 and in 2010-11.

Lastimosa won’t be alone in engaging Ginebra coach Tim Cone. Reyes will sit behind the bench and share what he knows about Cone, which is a lot considering they work together with Gilas. Lastimosa himself has played for Cone and was once his assistant. Coaching will be key in the best-of-seven Finals. Both teams are loaded with talent and how the tacticians utilize their pieces on the court will determine the winner. A long rest awaits the protagonists due to the Holy Week break.  Ginebra has a 10-day wait and TNT an eight-day respite before starting the Finals on April 9, Easter Sunday, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.  If the Finals go the distance, it will end on Sunday, April 23. That gives Reyes and Cone a little less than two weeks to put Gilas in order before the start of the SEA Games on May 5. Ten players in the 28-man Gilas pool are from Ginebra and TNT and they’re virtual shoo-ins. From Ginebra are Justin Brownlee, Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo, Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle while from TNT are RR Pogoy, Calvin Oftana, Poy Erram and Mikey Williams. Unlike in FIBA competitions, SEA Games will allow players to represent a country with passports in hand, regardless of when they were issued. Standhardinger, Pringle and Williams wouldn’t qualify for FIBA because their passports were issued after turning 16 but they’re eligible for the SEA Games.

Ginebra and TNT clashed in the elims with the Tropa winning, 114-105, as Rondae Hollis-Jefferson compiled 34 points, 11 rebounds and four assists compared to Brownlee’s 27 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. The import match-up is a dream. RHJ is 28, six years younger than Brownlee and was the Portland Trail Blazers’ first-round pick in the 2015 NBA draft.  The southpaw played in six NBA seasons with Brooklyn, Toronto and Portland.  He’s in his first PBA conference. Brownlee has won six titles in nine conferences and is undefeated in the Finals. Will RHJ break his streak?

What TNT displayed in the semis was toughness in defense. There’s no doubt the potency of TNT’s offense but against Meralco, the Tropa proved its mettle in defense, too. In the elims, TNT gave up an average of 107.5 points. In three semifinal wins over Meralco, TNT surrendered only an average of 84.  Meralco’s leading local scorer in the elims Allein Maliksi was limited to 4.5 points a game in the semis from 15.9 before the playoffs with his field goal percentage dropping from 49 percent to 20.6. Chris Newsome’s numbers also fell from 14.3 points and 44.5 percent from the floor in the elims to 9.5 points and 27.6 percent in the semis. Expect a dogfight in the Finals.