PBA Finals: TNT-Ginebra duel brings together Gilas personalities

TNT Tropang Giga’s Calvin Oftana in a PBA Philippine Cup game against Ginebra. –PBA IMAGES

Calvin Oftana knows that having played under coach Tim Cone doesn’t give him any insight at all as to what to expect when he leads TNT against Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals.

“You cannot really study the mind of Coach Tim in terms of what he wants to implement,” Oftana said on Thursday when the Tropang Giga and the Gin Kings braved the gloomy weather caused by Severe Tropical Storm “Kristine” to attend the pre-Finals press conference inside the Enderun campus in McKinley Hill, Taguig City.

No one can fault the fans if they get Gilas Pilipinas feels when Ginebra and TNT battle for the championship of the season-opening conference. After all, a lot of the personalities from both teams have been called up to play for the national team.

READ: 2024 PBA Finals schedule: Barangay Ginebra vs TNT Tropang Giga

And it starts with both head coaches.

Current Gilas Pilipinas head coach Cone takes on his national team predecessor Chot Reyes, who is eyeing to give TNT its 10th championship and retain its hold of the tournament it ruled during the last edition in 2023.

“He’s really been my mentor throughout our time in coaching,” Reyes said of Cone. “But in the end, I have developed my own style, he has developed his own style and philosophy.”

And then there are the players.

Oftana is one of five TNT players, including veterans Jayson Castro and Kelly Williams, RR Pogoy and Poy Erram, who have played for the national squad under Cone or Reyes—or both—in the past decade.

Ginebra, meanwhile, has resident import Justin Brownlee, who has been the Philippines’ naturalized player since the historic gold medal run in the Hangzhou Asian Games, while Thompson, Japeth Aguilar, RJ Abarrientos and LA Tenorio are other former or current Gilas mainstays.

But will that play a factor in the series that starts on Sunday at Ynares Center in Antipolo City?

“I don’t know if it will be that much of a differentiator in the series aside from that similarity,” Reyes said. “But other than that, I’m approaching this series as TNT. And I’m sure Tim is approaching this series as Ginebra.

“After the series, we can all go back to being Gilas or former Gilas. But for this series, this is TNT and Ginebra,” he added.

Oftana thrilled

The Finals also sees the import matchup pitting Brownlee and TNT’s Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, whose presence helped the Tropang Giga defeat Ginebra in the 2023 Governors’ Cup Finals—the last time this tournament was played and also the last time that both squads battled for a title.

Adding some layer to the Gilas factor is Hollis-Jefferson, who was on the losing end of the Philippines’ Asiad gold feat as a naturalized player for Jordan.

Aside from facing Cone, Oftana is also thrilled to finally play against Thompson, his buddy and national team roommate. The two have battled injuries in the recent 12 months, but are expected to play pivotal roles for their teams.

“The last time I faced Scottie, he wasn’t totally healed. But now, I think he’s 100 percent ready for this Finals,” Oftana said.

Team officials Ricky Vargas of TNT and Alfrancis Chua of Ginebra also oversaw the national team that won the Asian Games gold medal.