Showing its composure and championship poise, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel recovered and withstood a big TNT Tropang Giga fightback to pull off a masterful 102-90 victory in Game 1 of their Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup best-of-seven finals series last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Import Justin Brownlee was at his best while Jamie Malonzo, Christian Standhardinger and Scottie Thompson delivered impressive numbers for the Kings, who displayed their tried-and-tested character when the game was on the line to draw first blood in this championship series.
Three-time Best Import awardee Brownlee tallied 31 points and 12 rebounds while Standhardinger — the Best Player of the Conference frontrunner — came away with 16 points and 11 boards for Ginebra, which came out recharged after a long rest following a sweep of San Miguel Beer in their best-of-five semifinals encounter.
Malonzo finished with 21 points after being held to only four points in the first half while Thompson had a huge triple-double performance of 10 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, much to the delight of the majority of the 11,580 fans who trooped to the Big Dome.
“Each time Scottie has a triple-double, it’s like a recipe for winning,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone, referring to the reigning Most Valuable Player who played without floor general LA Tenorio for the first time. “It means that the ball is moving.”
Not only did the Kings come out more physically ready, but they also displayed mental toughness, especially in the crucial stretch when the Tropang Giga threatened to pull off a comeback.
Ginebra was so poised, so dominant that it took advantage on every possible edge, including at frontcourt where Standhardinger overpowered and outwitted his counterpart in Poy Erram.
Erram, the Tropang Giga’s only legitimate big man recovering from a knee injury, failed to keep his emotions in check.
The former Ateneo de Manila University star finished the night with only four points before fouling out after committing back-to-back useless fouls on Standhardinger in the final 9:51 mark of the match.
Prior to that, he drew a tongue-lashing from his former coach Chot Reyes, who rose from his seat behind the Tropang Giga bench to instruct him to focus on the game, stop whining and get back on defense.
“They’re missing Kelly Williams and without Poy, they’re forced to play small ball against us and that has created problems for them in matching us defensively,” Cone said.
“Kelly and Poy are such important pieces for their squad.”
Import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson finished with 30 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and two steals before coach Jojo Lastimosa pulled him out of the game with still two minutes left while Mikey Williams and Calvin Oftana registered 23 and 16 markers, respectively.
THE SCORES:
GINEBRA (102) — Brownlee 31, Malonzo 21, Standhardinger 16, Pringle 11, Thompson 10, Gray 6, Mariano 5, Pinto 2, David 0.
TNT (90) — Hollis-Jefferson 30, M.Williams 23, Oftana 16, Castro 4, Erram 4, Chua 3, Khobuntin 2, Montalbo 2, Ganuelas-Rosser 0, Varilla 0.
QUARTERS: 29-20, 50-43, 74-62, 102-90.