By REYNALD MAGALLON
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Jayson Castro both let out a loud roar as the final buzzer in Game 6 went off. Those were barely audible inside the Smart Araneta Coliseum as it drowned in the cheers of the huge crowd as well as the wild celebration of their teammates.
But their impact in the game, when the championship was on the line, was resounding as ever.
The dynamic duo presided over a huge fourth quarter assault as the Tropang Giga asserted their mastery over Barangay Ginebra Kings, 95-85 to retain its crown in Game 6 of the PBA Season 48 Finals on Friday, Nov. 8.
TNT trailed by double-digits in the second half following a timely explosion from RJ Abarrientos but showed the championship poise in the end game to turn back Ginebra and earn the franchise’s 10th title.
Hollis–Jefferson proved exactly why he was the conference’s Best Import in its last two iterations, flirting with a triple-double with his 31 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists in another almost no relief effort.
He poured nine of his total in the final frame while Castro weaved his magic in the end game with key plays – first grabbing a huge offensive rebound and then finding Kelly Williams for the insurance basket down the stretch.
The twice former best point guard of Asia showed flashes of young self, finishing with 13 points and six assists to cap a series-long brilliance that saw him bag the Finals Most Valuable Player honors.
RR Pogoy and Rey Nambatac had their share of the spotlight with 13 and 12 respectively as TNT after allowing Ginebra to explode for 27 and 31 points in the second and third quarters, went back to their suffocating defense in the final frame and limited the Kings to just 11 points.
Still down by eight, 74-66, heading into the payoff period, Hollis-Jefferson began to work and scored five straight points before Nambatac cashed in a booming triple to tie the game.
It was a nip-and-tuck affair from there with Abarrientos, who fired 18 of his 31 points in the second frame to overcome an early TNT lead, keeping the Kings afloat while Castro and Pogoy taking turns to help Tropang Giga keep in step.
Back-to-back baskets from Hollis-Jefferson inside the last 2:30 put TNT ahead before Castro dished out a nice feed for Williams for the dagger.
Brownlee supplied 16 points to try to support Abarrientos explosion but was still not enough as he was once again denied of the title by Hollis-Jefferson and TNT.
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
