By Ivan Stewart Saldajeno
MANILA – TNT locked down Ginebra in the last six minutes of Game 6 of the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals to seal a 95-85 win that gave the PLDT franchise its 10th championship in front of 14,668 fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Friday.
Down 66-74 entering the fourth, the Tropang Giga closed the game on a 15-2 run as the Gin Kings, despite RJ Abarrientos’ heroics, lost steam in the end.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led TNT with 31 points, 16 rebounds, eight assists, and two steals.
Jayson Castro and RR Pogoy added 13 markers each.
Abarrientos finally came alive this series, finishing with 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting, one rebound, one assist, and two steals but his hot night came a bit too late as Ginebra lost in the Governors’ Cup Finals for the second straight year.
Still ‘blurry’ at 38
Castro proved that he can still be a reliable contributor for TNT as the PBA Press Corps named him the Finals MVP.
Now mainly a backup for finals debutant Rey Nambatac, Castro, already 38 years old, still reminded the fans that he was once the “best point guard in Asia,” averaging 10.8 points, 3 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game during the Tropang Giga’s championship series against the Gin Kings.
Castro’s lockdown defense mattered a lot in the series, especially guarding Ginebra’s rookie point guard Abarrientos even as “The Blur” kept on getting away offensively against “The Blitz,” who is not that known for his defense.
While Abarrientos had himself a career game in Game 6 in hopes of keeping the Gin Kings alive, Castro limited him late in the fourth quarter.
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
QUARTERS: 21-16, 42-43, 63-74, 95-85 (PNA)
