CHICAGO - A devout Muslim, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson abstains from food from dawn to sunset.
Unfortunately for Ginebra, sunset in Manila on Friday was 6:06 pm, which allowed RHJ to feast on the Gin Kings' defense and spate of early turnovers to lead TNT to a comfortable Game One victory at the Mall of Asia Arena.
No thanks to the former NBA player, the supposed PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals battle royale turned into a royal beatdown as the Tropang Giga built an 18-point bubble on the way to a 95-89 finish.
READ TNT pulls off masterful win over Ginebra in Game 1 of PBA Finals
It was almost over before it began as Hollis-Jefferson already accumulated 23 points, five rebounds and three assists by halftime where TNT shot 21-of-42 from the field to take a 55-39 cushion entering the third quarter..
Ginebra, meanwhile, misfired on 24 of 40 shots and coughed up nine turnovers to put them in a position to play catch up the rest of the way.
NO MIRACLE RALLY THIS TIME.
For a quick moment, it looked like Ginebra was going to pull off one of those legendary comebacks. Twice in the fourth quarter - an 8-0 run early and a 3-point play with 6;01 to go - they crept to within eight points.
But TNT expected the fightback and was ready with answers.
"We knew they were going to make a run," coach Chot Reyes said at his post-game press conference. "We just reminded them to stay calm."
That poise served the Tropang Giga well, and when the league's presumptive Best Import of the Conference drilled a mid-range jumper that put the Tropa up, 91-81, with 3:27 remaining, Game One was all but settled.
When the smoke cleared, RHJ narrowly fell short of a triple-double with 34 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. Making matters worse for Ginebra was the support Rondae got from his teammates.
CONCERTED EFFORT.
Roger Pogoy hit five triples to finish with 15. Calvin Oftana chipped in 10 and nine boards while Rey Nambatac, filling in nicely for injured Jayson Castro, accounted for 10 markers and three dimes.
Justin Brownlee and Scottie Thompson powered the Ginebra offense with a combined 45 points. But coach Tim Cone got little else from his star-studded line-up.
The prolific RJ Abarrientos had 13 points and four rebounds but he only had one dime and he went 3-of-10 from the field. As Ginebra tried to play big, RJ was benched until late in the final frame when the outcome was already decided.
Jamie Malonzo, supposedly the RHJ-stopper, did little to slow down TNT's prized import. Malonzo was also dreadful on offense, just two points on 1-for-8 shooting.
Stephen Holt, Japeth Aguilar and Troy Rosario pooled 26 points among them but none came in the way of impactful or sustained production.
The good news for Ginebra is that Game 2 is Sunday, a quick turnaround.
But here's the bad news: Tip off is 7:30 pm.
Which means it's way past fasting time for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson who is always hungry for a feast.
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