TNT delivered its inner ‘never-say-die’ spirit, raining on Barangay Ginebra's party with a close 87-83 win to bring the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals to a deciding Game 7.
Poy Erram regained his focus and came up with clutch baskets and clutch plays in the stretch run, teaming up with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Rey Nambatac in producing the dramatic Game 6 victory before 17,564 fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
READ This Ginebra PT worked his magic on Brownlee's dislocated thumb
It’s the first Game 7 in the league in two years, or since Ginebra triumphed over guest team Bay Area Dragons to claim the Commissioner’s Cup championship that drew the biggest live audience ever in PBA history (54,589).
The deciding game for all the marbles is set on Friday which this early, is already being predicted to be a blockbuster.
Here are the takeaways from Game Six:
1. TIM CONE OWNS BETTER GAME 7 RECORD THAN CHOT REYES – with the deciding game of the finals sealed, it's worthy to note the Ginebra coach is the master of Game 7, winning eight out of 10 stint, including three in the last 13 years. Reyes meanwhile, owned two Game 7 wins in a title series and lost four times including the 2022 Philippine Cup against San Miguel Beer, although he failed to call the shots for TNT due to health protocols. In their head-to-head Game 7 encounter, it’s even-steven at 1-1, with Reyes drawing the first blood during the 2008 Philippine Cup, before Cone levelled it with his victory in the 2012 Commissioner’s Cup behind Denzel Bowles’ endgame heroics. Incidentally, this will be the first ever Game 7 finals between Ginebra and TNT.
2. POY ERRAM SUDDENLY A SERIES CHANGER – focused and behaved, the veteran big man played his best game in the finals when the chips were down for the Tropang Giga. He came through with 10 crucial points in the fourth period, helping turn the tide in favor of TNT. He finished with 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, and added six rebounds, a steal, and a block, while preserving his personal fouls by never committing another one after being called for three fouls early in the first half. In the two losses suffered by TNT, Erram both had his tantrums including that infamous verbal spat on the bench with coach Chot Reyes. How he conducts himself Friday night will have a say on the Tropang Giga’s title chances.
3. HOW LONG CAN JB ENDURE THE PAIN OF A DISLOCATED THUMB? – no doubt, Justin Brownlee is a warrior. But there’s no denying either that he’s been playing through an excruciating pain. If there’s one person who loved to end the series in Game 6, it’s no less than the Ginebra import, who played for the third time in six days with a dislocated right thumb. Not a few fans have noticed the pained expression in JB's face. Yet, save for his missed free throws, he still played his usual game and came through with 22 points (9-of-10 from the field), seven rebounds, four assists, and two block shots, though he committed seven out of the 18 Ginebra turnovers.
4. BETTER STATS FOR TNT – coach Tim Cone was right when he said TNT was the better team in Game 6 and the numbers backed up his words. While the Kings shot better from the floor (48 percent) than the Tropang Giga (41 percent), Ginebra had more turnovers (18-11), which TNT converted into an 18-9 edge in turnover points. The Tropang Giga also scored more on fastbreak, 15-2. The Kings did win the battle of the boards though, 44-38, and got more bench points, 21-4.
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