PBA Finals: RHJ says Chot Reyes-Erram spat ‘took care of itself’

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and Poy Erram during Game 4 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals against Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—TNT import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson offered some positives after the Tropang Giga were pushed to the brink following a tough Game 5 loss in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals.

Just when it looked like TNT crumbled to the very core on Sunday, Hollis-Jefferson said the altercation between coach Chot Reyes and Poy Erram “took care of itself” after their 73-66 defeat to rival Barangay Ginebra.

“It kind of took care of itself. They both knew their importance to the game,” said the newly-minted three-tome Best Import.

READ: PBA Finals: ‘Fed up’ Chot Reyes tells off Poy Erram for his antics

TNT coach Chot Reyes during Game 4 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

“At the end of the day, we’re all competitive and we all want to win and I think they realized that.”

Hollis-Jefferson looked on as Erram and Reyes got into a heated verbal spat during a timeout in the third quarter of Game 5 with the two having to be separated.

During the TNT huddle on the bench, Erram threw his towel while blurting out choice words that didn’t sit well with Reyes.

READ: PBA Finals: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson looks for answers vs Ginebra defense

Hollis-Jefferson was one of the people who quickly tried to pacify the situation.

“I just told them that we have to do this together. Everybody else said the same thing, for us to stick together and do this as a team,” said the former NBA veteran, who once again had a hard time against the Gin Kings’ defense finishing with 19 points on 7-of-26 shooting from the field and 12 rebounds.

With the incident behind, TNT can now fully focus on bouncing back in Game 6 on Wednesday, hoping to extend the title series to a deciding Game 7.