THE 2026 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals is set, and it is a rematch of last season’s series with TNT looking to beat Barangay Ginebra for the fourth straight time for the championship.
TNT may have won consecutively against Ginebra, but they also don’t want to lose three in a row in the PBA Finals after bowing to San Miguel in the 49th Season and 50th Season Philippine Cup championship.
READ Abarrientos, Heading looking to bring red-hot form to PBA Finals
Ginebra doesn’t need to look far for motivation. Aside from those three defeats to TNT, the Gin Kings haven’t tasted a championship since the 2022-23 Commissioner’s Cup Finals when they beat Bay Area Dragons in seven games.
To get you ready for the finals, here are five questions that could decide the series.
Can Barangay Ginebra and TNT hit their threes?
Ginebra’s ability to make its threes at a high rate has been the story of its conference. At the end of the semifinals, the Gin Kings have already made 246 threes, and shooting it at a rate of 38.9 percent. With Justin Brownlee, RJ Abarrientos, and Scottie Thompson leading the way, Ginebra averaged 12.7 threes per game during the semifinal series against Rain or Shine. So important was Ginebra’s three-point shooting that the team lost in Game 4 when they only made five.
Meantime, TNT’s inability to connect on its threes was the story of its elimination round. Usually a dependable perimeter team with Calvin Oftana, RR Pogoy, and Jordan Heading among their weapons, the Tropang 5G finished 12th at the end of the eliminations in three-point shooting percentage with 28.8. That slightly improved during the semifinals against Meralco when TNT converted a more decent 34 percent. TNT must keep up with Ginebra in order to have a shot at the finals.
Is health going to be an issue?
Aches and pains have always been a part of the challenges during the playoffs, and the team that is the healthiest has the upperhand.
During their last championship battle against TNT, Justin Brownlee suffered a dislocated thumb, which can be argued could have dended Ginebra’s title hopes. Brownlee is now back in the finals after an outstanding semifinals where he normed 29.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.3 blocks.
RR Pogoy, one of TNT’s all-around players, returns to the finals healthy after he sustained a hamstring injury during the 50th Season Philippine Cup finals against San Miguel which TNT lost. He is coming off a semifinal series where he averaged 15.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.3 steals.
It has recently been revealed that Scottie Thompson (hamstring) and Calvin Oftana (toe) are dealing with injuries. We will only know whether it will slow them down when we see them in play in the finals.
Which bench will produce?
Lost in the explosion of Justin Brownlee and RJ Abarrientos were the contributions of the Ginebra bench led by Ralph Cu. In the last two games of the semifinals, Cu averaged 9.5 points and delivered his usual outside shooting by making 5 of 11 threes. But Cu showed he can do more than just make threes after he averaged 4.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists during the last two semifinal games. Nards Pinto, Isaac Go, and Jeremiah Gray also had their moments during the semifinals.
For TNT, Jordan Heading came off the bench the entire semifinals and averaged 16 points per game. Heading made it rain during the series including in the closeout Game 6 where he had 30 points on 7-of-10 shooting from three-point range. He averaged four threes in the last three games of the semifinals against Meralco.
How will RJ Abarrientos be defended by TNT?
RJ Abarrientos was simply amazing with his shotmaking in the semifinals against Rain or Shine. The Elasto Painters put Joshua David, Andrei Caracut, Jhonard Clarito, and Gian Mamuyac on Abarrientos but no one had an answer. The Ginebra guard averaged 22 points against Rain or Shine, and had 31 points in Game 5 and 30 in Game 6 on their way to advancing to the finals.
During their multiple title runs, TNT has always been known as a defensive team, and this conference was no exception with a 106.2 defensive rating. It is going to be a different challenge for TNT in this finals with Abarrientos’ immense improvement.
Can C-Mac do what RHJ did?
This TNT-Ginebra rematch won’t have one of its major players in Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. RHJ was out for this Commissioner’s Cup due to an Achilles tear that he sustained while playing for Meralco in the East Asia Super League. Hollis-Jefferson impacted TNT in different ways during their past title runs, but his strength is his versatility and desire to ancho the team on defense. With RHJ out, TNT went for a high-profile import to get them back in the finals in Bol Bol, but the former NBA player also went down with an Achilles tear during the semifinals.
Chris McCullough will play for TNT in this finals series, after being the replacement for Bol, and there is no doubt that he is a dependable import. McCullough did it all during the semifinals against Meralco, averaging 29.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.3 blocks. In so short of a time, McCullough has already proven that he is a willing defender, and has created opportunities on offense not just for himself but also for his teammates. He also has experience in winning a championship in the PBA. If he performs well, Hollis-Jefferson and Bol won't be missed that much.
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