Stephen Holt refuses to take all the credit despite his major role in pulling off the most important stop of the night that ultimately helped Ginebra equalize the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup Finals against TNT on Sunday.
Team defense, and not him alone, made it possible according to last season’s Rookie of the Year after they all stopped Rondae Hollis-Jefferson from getting a decent shot as he tried to take matters into his own hands.
“I know I’ll probably get credit for the last stop of the game — that was a total team effort,” he said shortly after their 71-70 Game 2 win at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Holt had the unenviable task of defending the two-time Best Import in that final possession with seven seconds left when the Tropang Giga went to him in an attempt to steal the match and build a 2-0 lead in the race-to-4 affair.
After all, RHJ has undeniably been the go-to guy of the perennial contenders whenever he’s around and that’s a role he himself has fully embraced, more so when Jayson Castro went down with a knee injury back in the semifinals.
But Holt stayed in front of him and got him checked, making it difficult for the former NBA veteran to create the space that he wanted.
And things would turn from bad to worse for Hollis-Jefferson. In an attempt to evade the defense, he spun to his right, but Scottie Thompson took a gamble as he left Roger Pogoy and decided to provide help for a double team.
Hollis-Jefferson lost control of the ball, and could no longer set up a shot in time as the Barangay went on to heave a sigh of relief with the escape.
#WATCH: The final moments that sealed the deal in Game 2 of the #PBA2025 Commissioner’s Cup Finals! 🏀
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/TWV15tVEcS
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) March 17, 2025
As key as he was in preventing the opposing star, Holt lauded the help defense provided by the former league MVP, who in the possession prior committed a turnover that gave the opposition a chance.
“The way they fired to help me in the last second or two, but it’s team defense that’s why we won tonight,” said the 6-foot-4 combo guard, who’s playing in his second PBA Finals.
The first overall pick of the 2023 Draft was proud of the defensive stand Ginebra as a whole made, as they were able to overcome a horrible shooting night on the way to leveling the best-of-7 series at one game apiece.
“We made some mistakes defensively with our coverages, a couple of turnovers, but we endured,” said Holt, who only had seven points on six shots and four rebounds in Game 2. “And that’s what it takes to win a championship.
“Tonight wasn’t my night, I missed obviously some open shots, other guys missed some open shots, but when it mattered most we were able to get that stop and that’s what means the most to this group.”
For Holt, who collected a pair of steals, it was important for the rest of the Kings to set the tone on defense after absorbing a 95-89 defeat in Game 1.
“We wanna set the tone with that intensity coming off a loss. It was ugly tonight. I mean, for both teams playing in the 70s, that’s unheard of in the PBA with the way the players aren’t being able to score,” he said.
“But again, it’s the Finals, so everyone is locking in to their respective scouting reports.”
But given how Sunday night turned out, Holt and the rest of Ginebra are expecting a fightback from TNT come Game 3 on Wednesday.
“We responded because we were mad we lost the game. We had to show that intensity. So TNT’s gonna do the exact same thing,” he said. “They lost, they’re gonna watch the film, make their adjustments, and come ready to play on Wednesday.
“So, we have to match their intensity. Clean up some things on the offensive end, continue to have that pressure, play team defense, and rebound, and just play Ginebra basketball.”
#WATCH: Stephen Holt emphasizes that stopping RHJ in the crucial endgame was not just because of him, but a total team effort by Ginebra 🏀
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times#PBA2025 pic.twitter.com/hdS8u8lOpK
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) March 16, 2025
