TNT Tropang Giga repeats as Governor's Cup champions with a 95-85 Game 6 win Friday over Barangay Ginebra. Jayson Castro was named Finals MVP after averaging 10.3 points, three rebounds, and 5.1 assists for the series. TNT outscored Ginebra 29-11 in the fourth quarter to erase an eight-point deficit.
How TNT closed out Ginebra
Ginebra went small ball for the majority of Game 6 as coach Tim Cone inserted RJ Abarrientos and Ralph Cu in the starting lineup. It did wonders as Abarrientos had his best game of the series and in his young career in the PBA with career-high 31 points to lead Ginebra.
However, the downside to this type of lineup for Ginebra was the lack of size - leaving Justin Brownlee to play center. And when crunch time hit, TNT made sure to tap the Rondae Hollis-Jefferson postups and the dribble drive offense spearheaded by Castro's ability to generate paint touches.
It also was a message sent by Hollis-Jefferson by going two over Brownlee, which has dominated by getting the five championships in the Governors' Cup since 2016. Hollis-Jefferson finished with 31 points, 16 rebounds, eights steals and two steals to steer TNT and showed he truly deserved the Best Import award feat for this conference.
This was also Chot Reyes' first championship with TNT since coming back to the team last season. It is Reyes' first one winning in the Governors' Cup and 10th overall for his coaching career.
For Ginebra, they will be back to the drawing board with hopes that injured stars Jeremiah Gray, Jamie Malonzo, and Isaac Go can return to action in the Commisioners' Cup slated to start at the end of November. Cone along with assistant coach Richard Del Rosario and players like the Brownlee, Scottie Thompson, and TNT's own Calvin Oftana will shift their attention to the second window of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.