MARLO CUETIO/INQUIRER.ne
TNT suffered a tough loss to Barangay Ginebra on Sunday night that wiped out any cushion – psychological or on the scoreboard in any sense of the word – for the defending champions, who had dominated defensively in the first two games of the PBA Governors’ Cup championship series.
Coach Chot Reyes was so impressed after the 106-92 loss in Game 4 that he could only tip his hat to his tormentors, particularly Stephen Holt and Maverick Ahanmisi.
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“They played great,” he said. “Holt, man. He defends Rondae (Hollis-Jefferson) the entire game and still scores. And Mav (too).
“We know (Justin) Brownlee, Scottie (Thompson) and Japeth (Aguilar). They are given. But these two guys’ games? They really caused us a lot of problems… Unbelievable. I take my hat off.”
Holt scored 18 points, three rebounds and two assists in the crowd favorites’ masterful triumph in front of 16,783 fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Ahanmisi was just as spectacular and finished the game with just as many points. His late quad throw with 2:32 left proved to be just the gut punch the Gin Kings needed to tie the series.
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The pair set up Ginebra’s route to the century mark on the night, which further impressed Reyes, whose side had put in a huge performance with sensational defense at the start of the showdown.
“They’re really finding their groove,” he said of the Kings. “They were able to make great reads (while also executing their offense well). So it’s up to us to be able to play better defense.”
While Reyes praised the additional contributions from Ginebra’s squad, he lamented the lack on his side and pleaded for his bench to “step up” their play.
Missing touches
Apart from the always reliable Hollis-Jefferson, who scored 28 points and nine rebounds on his coronation night as the best import, it was only Calvin Oftana and Rey Nambatac who made a noticeable impact for the telecommunications club.
Oftana had 26 points to finally break out of a series slump, but regretted not getting enough touches in the second half. Nambatac, meanwhile, added 15 more. But the Tropang Giga hardly had a chance against an opponent who was running at full speed.
“I barely had any contact in the second half,” the young TNT star said in a separate chat. “To be honest, I’m frustrated. I couldn’t learn basketball when I still had a good feel for the game.
“As a player, you really know when you’re hot. But that’s basketball for you. “The ball won’t go around just for me as I have teammates too,” he continued.
Reyes and Oftana quickly put the defeat behind them. And that’s understandable, because the series has pretty much become a two-man battle.
“We are now 0-0 in the best-of-three,” said the experienced mentor. “You have the momentum now. It was the same for us when we had momentum after the first two games. Now it’s postponed. This is the finale for you.
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“This is basketball, our sport. A seven-game series between two very good teams? The momentum can really go (in either direction).” INQ