ANTIPOLO – Kelly Williams proved to be the steady presence TNT badly needed to sail through rough seas as the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup Finals got underway on Wednesday night.
The former league MVP delivered solidly on offense in the early goings, although it was his calmness amid the sloppy endgame that proved key in ultimately enabling the Tropang 5G to escape and draw first blood versus San Miguel.
His drop passes to Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser both led to crucial buckets inside the final 1:53 of the match — plays which kept the reigning champs at bay, as the latter rallied back after being down by as many as 19 in the second chapter.
“That’s the reason why he’s here,” TNT head coach Chot Reyes said after the 96-91 win at the Ynares Center here. “We always preach in our team that you can contribute in so many ways, and scoring is only one of the ways you can.
“In our team, we’re looking for players to contribute with their defense and then contribute in other ways – in setting screens, or making the right pass,” he added.
“In the end, the veteran that Kelly is, was able to make those decisions.”
Williams himself has embraced the role of being the Tropang 5G’s stabilizer, and their recent tribute to one of the flagship MVP Group franchise’s greatest players in Ranidel de Ocampo had a hand in it.
While most saw the retirement of his jersey No. 33 as a fitting way to honor his legacy, the 43-year-old looked at it as a reminder of his purpose with the ball club that he and his ex-teammate had steered to six titles together.
(C) PBA Images
“I think I have probably the most experience in these Finals situations. And I was reminded during Ranidel’s jersey retirement how big it is to have someone who is just calm in the storms,” the five-time All-Star offered.
“I wanted to make sure I come into this not just this game but in this whole series with that energy, and trust that our shooters are gonna shoot, our guys are gonna do what we need to do,” added Williams.
“And, like Coach said, make sure we handle our premium which is to play defense. and play with a lot of energy.”
They did exactly that, especially Williams, who went on to finish with 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and a block in 30 minutes.
Behind his steadiness, the Tropa now have the early lead in the best-of-7 affair. Williams is taking the lead as well in ensuring that no one gets too carried away by winning the first game.
“As far as we’re concerned, we’re preparing for Friday. So this game is done, and now we focus on getting rest, recovery coming in tomorrow for practice to fix our mistakes, which we had a lot of,” he said.
“All eyes on Friday. “We’re not looking past it, and not even thinking of this game anymore. We’re moving forward.”
#WATCH: WE GAVE GIVING THE BALL TO THE OTHER TEAM 🏀
Defense was not the problem for TNT in Game 1 of the #PBA50 Finals but protecting the ball, laments Chot Reyes#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/zCatwARwrj
📹 Justine Bacnis/Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/qyZlAykJct
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) January 21, 2026
