RONDAE Hollis-Jefferson and Jojo Lastimosa shrugged off the little disagreement they had on the TNT bench in the waning minutes of Game 1 of the PBA Governors Cup Finals against Barangay Ginebra on Easter Sunday.
The do-it-all import and the Tropang Giga coach were seen in an animated discussion at the final 1:55 mark of the game played before a crowd of 11,580 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as the Tropang Giga trailed, 99-87.
READ: Ginebra too hot to handle in Game One
It turned out Hollis-Jefferson resented the move of Lastimosa to pull him out of the court and preserve him for the rest of the best-of-seven series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Both later agreed it was just a misunderstanding between two people who badly wanted to win.
“Me and Jojo are good. I love the way he coaches. For me that’s just passion for the game. I’m out there to play for my teammates, the organization, and the fans,” said the NBA veteran about the incident.
Lastimosa said he has nothing but respect for Hollis-Jefferson, who he referred to as a ‘warrior.’
“Hats off to him. He doesn’t want to come out,” said the TNT coach. “He would die on the floor basta andun siya.
“But I told him, we have to be smart. This is a seven-game series, what if something happens to you?” added Lastimosa. “He doesn’t understand that part, there’s a lot riding for him. And you can’t win a series by just winning Game 1. And there’s a lot of games to be played.”
Hollis-Jefferson did leave everything on the floor as he finished with 30 points, 20 rebounds, and five assists although the numbers were not enough as the Tropang Giga lost the series opener, 102-90.
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