Chot Reyes was right.
Hours after calling TNT’s potential opponent in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup Finals, Ginebra proved him correct by dispatching NorthPort, 00-00, in Game 5 of the semis at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, Friday night.
The Tropang Giga head coach offered that they would be facing the Kings in the best-of-7 championship moments after they took care of business by finishing off Deon Thompson and Rain or Shine in a 97-92 decision earlier.
Both the traditional contenders held a 3-1 lead entering Friday’s matches, and Reyes’ belief most probably stemmed from that fact. His prediction came true when the crowd darlings got the job done to complete the title picture.
Now, it’s going to be Chapter II of the long-standing corporate rivalry in this season alone.
The two teams were the protagonists of the Season 49 Governors’ Cup Finals, which saw TNT come out triumphant in six to defend the crown.
Game 1 of the Finals is set for March 14 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, marking the league’s return to the venue after 10 months — or since Game 5 of the Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup semis where Ginebra beat Meralco, 89-84.
(C) PBA Images
“You saw what Talk N Text did. They’re extremely… People don’t realize how good a coach Chot Reyes is. He’s an outstanding coach. They lost a key player and they just kept right on moving forward,” Coach Tim Cone said.
“They’re playing with such togetherness and such effort, especially on the defensive side,” he added. “They’re not skipping a beat.”
Justin Brownlee led the way with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Jamie Malonzo and RJ Abarrientos delivered 20 apiece off the bench. The trio headed the Barangay’s surge in the middle quarters to break away.
From a narrow 23-22 lead after the first 12 minutes, the crew blew up for 74 big points in the second and third chapters for a 97-76 lead entering the final period. They left the Batang Pier shell-shocked in a microcosm of how the series went.
Japeth Aguilar came through with 18 points, five rebounds, and two blocks. Scottie Thompson made 14 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.
Troy Rosario chipped in 11 points, although he wasn’t able to finish the game after suffering a sprained right ankle early in the third quarter, leaving Cone and the Barangay worried about their bruising veteran forward.
“Right now, we don’t know if he’s going to be able to play. So there’s still a lot of things up in the air and we’ll know more as the week moves on,” he said.
(C) PBA Images
But Ginebra and TNT will have about six days before starting the title bout, which should mean more rest and recovery for their aches and pains.
NorthPort, on the other hand, was led by Kadeem Jack with 31 points and six rebounds in the loss that finally ended one of the most lopsided PBA semis series in recent times as the team practically proved no match.
Allyn Bulanadi was another bright spot in the defeat with 25 points. Joshua Munzon made 12 points and 11 assists, while Paolo Taha added 10.
Coach Bonnie Tan’s players received only nine points from star Arvin Tolentino.
Tolentino never scored in single digits the rest of the conference until the semis, where he saw himself limited not once but twice — first in Game 1 and then now.
It should be a gloomy mid-season break ahead for the rest of the Batang Pier after what was once a promising conference — which saw them finish the eliminations as the no.1 seed at 9-3 — ended up in disappointment.
The Scores:
Ginebra 126 – Brownlee 21, Abarrientos 20, Malonzo 20, J.Aguilar 18, Thompson 14, Rosario 11, Ahanmisi 9, Holt 7, Mariano 2, Pinto 2, Adamos 2, Cu 0, Pessumal 0, R. Aguilar 0.
NorthPort 99 – Jack 31, Bulanadi 26, Munzon 12, Taha 10, Tolentino 9, Navarro 9, Onwubere 2, Nelle 0, Flores 0, Cuntapay 0.
Quarterscores: 23-22, 62-53, 97-76, 126-99.
