It took heroic efforts from Justin Brownlee and RJ Abarrientos to steer Barangay Ginebra to a thrilling 102-100 victory against TNT in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series in the PBA 50 Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday.
While clutch shots from perennial scorers surely helped the Gin Kings repel a valiant late quarter rally from Tropang 5G, these were the three main factors of how the Tim Cone-mentored squad engineered a 1-0 series victory against one of their toughest rivals in the PBA.
Impeccable perimeter shooting
The Gin Kings led the game by as many as 16 markers, primarily due to their impressive shooting from beyond the arc.
Ginebra imposed their will early by going 6-of-7 from the rainbow country to seize a 30-25 lead in the opening quarter.
Cone’s troops went 13-of-27 from long range at the end of the game, a decent 48.1% accuracy rate, especially if compared to TNT’s 10-of-28 in the same area.
One of the biggest contributors from deep was Ralph Cu, who drilled three triples on six attempts to finish with nine points.
Cu’s shots proved crucial in slowing down Tropang 5G after they began to gain upper hand in the payoff period.
But perhaps the biggest shotmaker for the Gin Kings was RJ Abarrientos.
The Best Player of the Conference contender knocked two four-pointers in the last two minutes of the game, including one that gave Ginebra a 100-97 lead with only 20 seconds remaining in the game.
Overall, 63 of the Gin Kings’ points came from the perimeter area.
If they could surpass or sustain this level of shooting in the next games, Tropang 5G will be hard pressed to beat them in the series.
Defense and assists
Ginebra also outplayed TNT in these two departments: defense and ball-sharing.
The Gin Kings forced Tropang 5G to commit 15 turnovers through seven steals and one block in Game 1 of the Finals.
Jordan Heading, who hauled 30 points in TNT’s victory over Meralco in Game 6 of the semifinals, was limited to just five points with three turnovers.
The drop in Heading’s production could be partly attributed to TNT coach Chot Reyes’s adjustment of letting him run the point.
Cone’s squad also proved better in allowing their teammates to get ball touches on the course of the game.
Ginebra tallied 30 assists, almost double to the 17 dimes recorded by Tropang 5G.
Instead of having Brownlee score 30 points a night to ensure a Ginebra victory, an improved ball movement enabled the Gin Kings to share the scoring load between the resident import, Abarrientos, and Scottie Thompson.
Abarrientos copped the Best Player of the Game plum with his 24 markers, while Brownlee and Thompson had 23 and 15, respectively.
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Better bench players
Finally, a key factor in Ginebra’s Game 1 victory is the team’s second unit that outgunned their TNT counterparts.
In total, the Gin Kings’ shocktroopers produced 33 markers, while the Tropang 5G bench had 10 points.
Troy Rosario took the spotlight among the Ginebra reserves with 16 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.
He proved not just his excellent ability to control the boards, but also that he could be the X factor that Cone might be looking for.
Rosario’s performance bolstered the Gin Kings whenever Brownlee, Abarrientos, or Thompson was off the floor.
This balanced scoring from the Gin Kings rosters could make the biggest difference in the series, especially if Ginebra can maintain their defensive mastery over TNT in the next games.
We will find out whether Ginebra can replicate this success in Game 2 on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
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Hyacinth Estrada 
Geoffrey H. Latayan 
Tabitha Kongo