Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings’ RJ Abarrientos during the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals Game 4 against TNT Tropang Giga. TNT beat Ginebra to win the championship. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Beginner’s luck didn’t exactly go the way of Ginebra rookie RJ Abarrientos but that doesn’t dampen his outlook for the Gin Kings’ upcoming conferences.
Abarrientos had his best game in the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals on Friday, but it just wasn’t enough as the Tropang Giga shunned down any hopes of a do-or-die game with a 95-85 win over Ginebra in Game 6 at Araneta Coliseum on Friday.
The rookie out of Far Eastern University was quick to collect his emotions in order to move forward.
READ: TNT repeats over Ginebra to retain its PBA Governors’ Cup crown
“I’m 25, I’m still young, I still have a lot to learn from this conference and I just really need time to breathe a little and then it’s back to work,” said Abarrientos in Filipino.
“Of course, there were regrets here in Game 6 but like I’ve been saying in interviews, whether it be the ups or downs of the seasons, I’m there. I’ll learn from this but I need just a little bit of rest to review the learnings we can take.”
After going on almost a disappearing act for the first five games of the series averaging just 9.5 points, Abarrientos showed up big with 31 points to spearhead Ginebra’s offense in his team’s last-ditch rally. stretch.
READ: RJ Abarrientos hit by reality check in PBA Finals debut
With the first series loss of his young PBA career, Abarrientos said he’ll be gearing up for a newer version of himself: someone who can propel Ginebra to more wins in the future.
“Whatever the team needs and whatever I need to improve on, that’s what I’ll work on. Next conference, maybe I’ll be a different RJ because my rookie conference had just ended,” he said.