It could be that defense is the name of the game in the PBA Governors’ Cup.
But the four-point line has become a mere footnote in the ongoing finals series between TNT and Barangay Ginebra.
Going into Game 6, with the Tropang Giga gunning for a chance to hoist the championship trophy for the second straight time in this particular tournament, both Finals protagonists have combined to make 9 out of 32 attempts for a shooting clip of 28 percent.
That many—or few—tries from the 27-foot line that the league put in place before the start of the season seems to prove how the second arc, which sparked a lot of heated debate on social media, is just a novelty when the stakes are higher.
It’s also a fact that Tropang Giga coach Chot Reyes and his Gin Kings counterpart Tim Cone have been consistent in their preference for higher-percentage shots and going for the four-pointer only if a good opportunity arises.
Ginebra has made 7 of 22 from that range, with almost half of those coming from import Justin Brownlee, who is 3 of 13. The other shots came from LA Tenorio (2-2), Maverick Ahamisi (1-3) and Von Pessumal (1-3).
TNT is 2 of 10, with Rey Nambatac and RR Pogoy credited for the two hits. Pogoy’s shot came early in the fourth quarter of Game 5, which put the Tropang Giga ahead, 84-48, on their way to a 99-72 rout on Wednesday.
That blowout result is the momentum the Tropang Giga were looking to put to full use and secure their 10th league championship, a momentous feat for the franchise that began its PBA foray in 1990 when it was still under the ownership of the Pepsi cola brand.
Double digits
If that happens, TNT will become the latest team to win double-digit titles, alongside San Miguel Beer (29), Ginebra (15), Alaska (14), Magnolia (14) and Crispa (13).
But a big Ginebra fightback Reyes was expecting ahead of the potential clincher may be realized if Brownlee gets out of his shock eight-point output in Game 5 and the rest of the crew picks up the slack.
Game 7, if necessary, will be held on Sunday at Ynares Center in Antipolo City, a place Ginebra hopes to visit for a chance at the crown.
The Tropang Giga are 2-2 in possible clinchers in their last three Finals appearances, doing the job in Game 5 of the 2021 Philippine Cup against the Magnolia Hotshots and in Game 6 of the 2023 Governors’ Cup opposite the Gin Kings.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson won his first championship last season, and he has a chance to do it again for TNT.
But TNT’s two losses came after taking a 3-2 lead in the 2022 Philippine Cup versus San Miguel Beer, as it took Games 6 and 7 to wrest the crown.
Thirty-four of the previous 48 teams that won Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Finals have gone on to win the title, per PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon.