STEPHEN Holt snapped out of an offensive slump in Game 3 of the PBA 50th Season Commissioner’s Cup Finals on Sunday night.
Holt scored 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field to set the tone for Barangay Ginebra's 116-102 win over TNT that enabled the league's most popular team to grab a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven finals.
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Holt found the perfect time to bounce back after averaging 0.5 points in the first two games of the series, inevitably drawing flak on social media from even some of the Gin Kings' most loyal fans.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone, howeer, was quick to defend Holt, saying that he contributes in so many ways outside of scoring during the entire playoffs, whether on the court with his play or off the court through his leadership.
“People are saying, I know there was a lot of internet noise about him not playing well,” said Cone, who has also been criticized by fans for playing Holt for too many minutes during his offensive slump.
“He has been playing great,” he added. “I think if you are just looking at Stephen strictly as a scorer, you are not looking at the whole game of basketball. He is a lot more than just being a scorer. He impacts winning in so many things that he does and even when he was not scoring a lot.
“He is the kind of guy who looks at the game and says, ‘Okay, this is what I need to contribute.’ Sometimes it will be scoring. Sometimes it will be being a ball mover. Sometimes it will be their spread-out guy… And then the stuff you don’t see off the court as well,” said Cone.
Holt was held scoreless in the series opener, then only scored one point in Game 2 before he exploded after making his first six shots of the contest.
“When everybody said he was struggling, he struggled in the last two games, I didn’t think he struggled the last two games. He just wasn’t looking for his shot. And tonight, he came out looking for his shot. And it was impactful,” said Cone.
Cone cited Holt’s contributions during the Rain or Shine series in spreading the floor that led to opportunities for his teammates.
“In Rain or Shine, they were really playing him not to get the ball so he spreads people out in the corners,” said Cone.
Cone also hailed Holt for his defense against Calvin Oftana in Game 3 with the TNT star limited to only two points.
“A lot of that was Stephen especially against Oftana,” said Cone.
Cone also marvels about Holt’s leadership being one of the veterans in the team.
“And then the stuff you don’t see off the court as well. Stephen is such a tremendous leader,” said Cone.
For Sunday night, however, it was the offense that Holt produced, making his first six shots of the game from different areas of the court including three threes and a four. His final three during that stretch got Barangay Ginebra up, 43-28, in the second quarter.
After the breakout game on Sunday, Cone expects Holt to continue chipping in in the finals series, and it isn't necessary through scoring.
“Again, whether it be rebounding, defending, he is the one defending Oftana, Pogoy, every night. He defended Nocum and Mamuyac in the last series. So he is contributing to winning. Just because you don’t score doesn’t mean you are not contributing to winning. I think tonight, we want to get off to a quick start so he was looking for his shot a little bit more. I thought that was awesome,” said Cone.
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