A creative, lethal unit all throughout the tourney, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and his teammates are not to deviate from their ways, determined to put the finishing touches in a masterclass performance.
And they ride the momentum of a rout in Game One and a crucial follow-up win in Game Two as they try to push the Barangay Ginebra Kings to a deeper hole in an All Saints Day dispute at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. with another win for coach Chot Reyes and his troops sending them to the doorstep of back-to-back PBA Governors' Cup championships.
As a tremendous force, RHJ and his teammates are 17-4 (win-loss) overall in the tourney, dropping just two games in the elims and one each in the quarterfinals and the semifinals versus NLEX and Rain or Shine.
They're two-zero versus the Gin Kings, overwhelming their rivals with a stifling defense and torrid shooting from downtown.
Sponsored content:
They took Game One at 104-88 with 12 three-pointers as against Ginebra's two. In Game Two, the Tropang Giga poured in 14 treys as against the Kings' seven.
Hollis-Jefferson has been at the epicenter of their onslaught in the tourney. On Wednesday, he's a tireless workhorse, delivering 37 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in a no-relief job -- his wondrous game marked by a PBA personal best of six treys.
"It's basically a shift in the mindset," said Hollis-Jefferson of his three-point shooting.
He noted that Ginebra coach Tim Cone used the same strategy against him as Jordan's import in the last Asian Games gold medal-match and did his part to counter it.
"In the Asian Games they forced me to shoot a lot of threes and they beat us for the gold medal. We talked about that and I know that's going to be the game plan now and they're willing to live with that the whole game," Hollis-Jefferson said. "But I'm a professional player; I work on it (outside shooting) every day. I believe in it, my coaches and teammates believe in it."
Sponsored content:
RHJ's shiftiness and creativity, apart from his shooting, make him a tough, tough matchup problem for Ginebra especially in the absence of Jamie Malonzo.
Joe Devance has had his share in his return from retirement. But an injury kept him on the bench in the first two games of the finale.
"Rondae was amazing," said the Ginebra coach, taking the blame that he's yet to find a formula to stop the TNT juggernaut.
"I don't know what's going on. I'm totally being outcoached and outclassed by Chot," said Cone.
No doubt, though, that Cone would continue to find a way.
Reyes, meanwhile, wouldn't sit back and relax. He would egg on his chargers to go forward. (SB)
