Terrence Jones. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—After escaping Ginebra in the semifinals opener, TNT went on to handily beat the Gin Kings in Game 2 on Sunday night.
KaTropa star Terrence Jones said the difference in the first two games is that in the second game, the team showed no letup especially on the defensive end despite already having the Gin Kings by their throats.
And it was Jones who led by example again by slowing down Justin Brownlee in the fourth quarter.
“I always approach my matchup with a winning mentality,” said Jones Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. “I have to do whatever it takes to win, we felt like we had a little more leeway to this game compared to the last.”
“I just wanted to make sure we stepped to our principles to continue on winning.”
Jones tallied his fourth triple-double of the conference with 15 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists to go along with two steals and four blocks but his impact for the KaTropa was beyond the numbers.
His lockdown defense stifled Brownlee in the fourth quarter of Game 1, holding the Ginebra star to just one point and three missed field goal attempts.
Brownlee, who finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds in Game 2, had just six points in the fourth quarter of Game 2.
Jones, however, said that it’s not just his defense on Brownlee that was commendable but the whole team’s effort.
The Gin Kings kept throwing bricks from the three-point area where they missed 18 of their 23 attempts.
“I think we all came together and really focused on what we wanted to take away and what we wanted to do defensively,” said Jones. “That’s what we showed tonight.”