CHICAGO - As Game Four of the PBA Governors' Cup Finals slipped from its grasp on Sunday night at the Araneta Coliseum, TNT called for a ceasefire after Ginebra raced to a 104-92 lead with just 1:28 to play.
After the timeout, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was the last to emerge from the huddle as the TNT import lingered on a folding chair a bit longer while his teammates began to re-enter the floor.
He'd never admit he's tired. The pride of a warrior, a six-year NBA veteran who genuflects at the altar of Kobe Bryant's Mamba mentality, won't allow it.
READ: Fajardo wins 11th BPC award; RHJ is Best Import
But after yet another long day in the office, RHJ looked ashen and must be feeling what Eminem once wailed in a song.
"His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy."
Following tonight's 106-92 defeat, the grip of the Governors' Cup Finals that the Tropang Giga once held firmly has loosened to a 2-2 tie with momentum swinging abruptly Ginebra's way.
WIPED OUT.
Just like that, four days after taking a 2-0 lead, the Tropang Giga's quick head of steam has flipped into a massive gray cloud of doubt.
And the biggest problem, I think, is the overload on RHJ's playing time.
The newly-minted Best Import played for 45:56 in Game One, logged 48 minutes in each of Games Two and Three before carrying another 46:57 in Game Four.
Which means the 29-year old former Portland Trail Blazer appeared in all but 3:06 out of a possible 192 minutes in the four games played.
The 6-foot-6, 217-pound forward takes pride in his regimen, one that could make a ninja warrior blush. But at the end of the day, he's still human, made of bones and ligaments, not steel.
RHJ IS NOT A MACHINE.
And he needs oxygen every now and then, especially in an intense, MMA-type physical atmosphere such as the Finals.
In contrast, Ginebra import Justin Brownlee has logged only a total of 178 minutes and 20 seconds in four games. It's only 10:34 less but when you put it in perspective, that's almost an entire quarter of rest.
So guess who had the fresher legs late in Game Four?
Brownlee, of course, who finished with 34 points on 11-of-16 shooting. He also had 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
Although he did card 28 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists, RHJ was a non-factor late when Calvin Oftana and Rey Nambatac attempted to pick up the cudgels on offense.
"LA (Tenorio) and Joe (DeVance) gave them 31 extra minutes. It allowed Scottie (Thompson) and (Stephen) Holt to be fresh in the fourth (quarter)," TNT assistant coach Josh Reyes told me of Ginebra's adjustments in Game Three.
We also saw more of that tonight.
Maybe TNT should do the same. Find valuable minutes elsewhere to give RHJ a blow.
A fatigued import often leads to the other F word.
Failure.
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