JUSTIN BROWNLEE came to Barangay Ginebra’s rescue to secure a hard-earned 71-70 win over TNT and level the PBA Commissioner’s Cup final at one-game apiece.
The beloved Ginebra import scored the last four points of the low-scoring game and prevented the Tropang Giga from reversing the outcome of a match the Kings controlled for most of the way.
TNT had one final chance of taking the win, but Rondae Hollis-Jefferson failed to attempt in the team’s last play, paving the way for the Kings to even the best-of-seven series.
READ: Clutch Brownlee averts Ginebra collapse vs TNT in Game Two
The finals shifts to the Philsports Arena in Pasig for Game 3 set on Wednesday.
For now, here are some of the takeaways in Game 2 last Sunday night which drew a crowd of 12,925 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
1.TNT MISSES JAYSON CASTRO’S VETERAN PRESENCE IN GAME 2
The failure of TNT to execute its plays in the endgame of a close loss showed how important the 38-year-old Castro – out for the season with a knee injury - is in running the backcourt for the Tropang Giga.
With him around, TNT has one added threat inside the court and provide the needed stabilizer especially when the game is on the line. The Tropang Giga had more turnovers than the Kings, 15-13, two of them from Rey Nambatac and Calvin Oftana, both on stepping violations, not to mention the two forced plays committed by import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
2.UGLY BALL FOR BOTH TEAMS
The Game 2 of the finals was a tightly fought one in the endgame, but both teams actually had a bad shooting night. The Kings went 33 percent from the floor (23-of-69), just a bit better against the Tropang Giga who were at 32 percent (24-of-73).
TNT also scored only four points in the second quarter and 19 for the entire first half, which now stand as the all-time lowest outputs (quarter and halftime) in PBA finals history as per PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III.
The first two games of the series is now the lowest scoring first two games of the finals combined with a total of 325 points, surpassing the previous record of 320 points registered during the 2005 Fiesta Conference between San Miguel and TNT.
3.TITLE SERIES IS DRAWING IN THE CROWD
So far, the finals drew an average crowd of 12,727, numbers which could accelerate as the title series progresses given at how the way Game 2 was played.
READ: Big MOA Arena crowds a welcome sight amid lean PBA attendance
Coach Tim Cone is already bracing for a TNT fightback in Game 3, which he referred to as a tone setter. “I hope they’re hanging from the rafters. I hope they (crowd) find a seat or standing room only or whatever. So I’m excited to see people excited to watch the series.”
4.NOT A GREAT WAY FOR PBA’S RETURN STINT AT MOA
The first two games of the finals were the league's return to the Mall of Asia Arena since Game 5 of the Barangay Ginebra-Meralco semifinals stint in last season’s Philippine Cup.
While a huge crowd was on hand who was treated to an exhilarating ballgame, the damaged wall inside the TNT dugout certainly left a bad taste in the mouth.
READ: PBA notified by MOA Arena management on TNT dugout damage
Though the PBA stressed such an occurrence was nothing new, it wasn’t exactly the ideal manner for the league to announce its return to one of the premier playing venues in the country.
Initially, there were talks about MoA management being not receptive to the idea of putting a four-point line on its flooring, so much so that it took almost 10 months before Asia’s pioneering pro league was able to schedule a game at the Pasay venue, Unfortunately, it wasn’t the perfect ending that came to fore.
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