ARVIN Tolentino began his PBA finals debut on the wrong end after the Barangay Ginebra rookie was dunked on by Bobby Ray Parks in the first quarter on Sunday against TNT.
The moment came very early in Game One as Parks completed a steal that led to a throwdown dunk against Tolentino, who challenged that attempt to no avail.
But Tolentino turned from being posterized to being one of the heroes in Game One of the PBA Philippine Cup championship series for Barangay Ginebra after he had 14 points, four rebounds, and three steals in the 100-94 overtime victory.
His imprint on the game came late in the fourth quarter after his cut to the baseline and a pass by LA Tenorio left him wide open for the lay-up that tied the game at 92-92.
Tolentino’s courage, as shown by his attempt to block Parks’ dunk and his willingness to make a play late in regulation, is exactly what Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone likes about him.
“The thing I like about Arvin is that he is fearless,” said Cone. “He is not afraid. He is not afraid of taking a shot. He is not afraid to drive to the basket. I get hard at him a lot as I’m trying to teach him what a good shot is and what a bad shot is. He is absolutely fearless. He is fearless of me. He is fearless of the game.”
Outside of Tolentino’s heroics, Cone said the former Far Eastern University standout will play a big role in the finals series moving forward as his skill set is perfect in Ginebra’s bid to defeat TNT.
“He is multiple-skilled. He can guard different people. He is still working on his defense, his techniques, and things like that. Those areas of the game, I think he will get a lot better at. But he is the perfect guy right now for us playing Talk ‘N Text because of his versatility, his ability to go out and guard (Troy) Rosario, maybe switch on Castro, spread the defense out with three-point shots. He is quick up and down the floor and he is athletic,” Cone added.
“He came to us at the right time to play Talk ‘N Text. He is a difference-maker for us versus Talk ‘N Text,” he added.
___
For more PBA updates, click here.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
