RONDAE Hollis-Jefferson made sure TNT wrote its own script in the PBA Commissioner's Cup, at least in the semifinals, by carving out a 97-92 win over Rain or Shine Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Hollis-Jefferson scattered a game-high 42 points and got plenty of help from the likes of Kelly Williams, Calvin Oftana and Rey Nambatac in the stretch that enabled the Tropang Giga to close out the best-of-seven series via a 4-1 count.
"We really showed a lot of heart and guts down the stretch," said TNT coach Chot Reyes after his side fashioned a conquest of Rain or Shine eerily similar to their last Governors Cup semis matchup.
The victory also put the Tropa back to the Commissioner's Cup finals for the first time in six years while setting them up for a best-of-seven championship meeting with the winner of the other semis pairing between Barangay Ginebra and NorthPort.
Reyes bared that in their pre-game talk he warned his players about not looking beyond the task at hand, which is to deny the Elasto Painters the chance ti extend their series.
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"Before the ballgame we talked about this, to make sure that we stay in the present and not allow our minds to wander during the ballgame," related Reyes.
"We felt we had a little letdown towards the end of the first half but we picked it up and so many guys pitched in, testament to the players' refusal to go down without a fight," added Reyes.
"This series was so close it could easily have gone either way. But in the end our ability to make stops when it mattered, I think, made the difference in this series."
And then there's Hollis-Jefferson, who started carrying TNT on his shoulders after it faced a 46-59 deficit before running rampant the most during the fourth period, where he scored 17 of his points.
"Every time we matched up against them is a challenge. They play extremely well, they're talented... they have depth, they go to their bench," said Hollis-Jefferson of the E-Painters.
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"But I think we stayed calm, we stayed poised, you know. They went up a little bit... and we just told our guys we could come together and do this, but we gotta stay calm," added Hollis-Jefferson.
Williams and Oftana managed to grab their own moments in the spotlight when the 43-year-old strung up four straight points that plucked the Tropa from an 84-82 count while the latter boomed in a triple for a 93-86 spread that veritably sealed the deal.
Deon Thompson's 34 points led Rain or Shine, which bowed out of the semis for the third straight conference and can now only look forward to the season-ending Philippine Cup. (NC)
The Scores :
TNT 97 - Hollis-Jefferson 42, Nambatac 12, Oftana 12, Pogoy 9, Khobuntin 9,Williams 8, Aurin 3, Erram 2, Heruela 0, Galinato 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 92 - Thompson 34, Nocum 13, Caracut 10, Tiongson 8, Santillan 7, Lemetti 6, Mamuyac 5, Norwood 5, Ildefonso 4, Clarito 0, Datu 0, Asistio.
QUARTERS: 28-27, 44-46, 66-67, 97-92
