Regroup and recover

TNT’s focus is to regroup from its Game 3 loss in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals while Ginebra hopes to recover from playing a short rotation with four players clocking at least 40 minutes each as Game 4 is set at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight. The challenge is for TNT to tie up the series at two wins apiece because a loss in Game 4 will mean a 1-3 deficit or a thrice-to-beat advantage for Ginebra.

Game 3 featured a mano-a-mano duel between two imposing imports who both delivered in spades. Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee collected 41 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and one turnover in 44:35 minutes while TNT’s Chris McCullough compiled 44 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and seven turnovers in 43:26 minutes. It’s incredible that JB, 38, is able to play at such a high level in his 13th conference since 2016. He logged more minutes than C-Mac who’s 31 and playing in his second conference since leading San Miguel Beer to the Commissioner’s Cup championship in 2019.

JB and C-Mac aren’t strangers to each other. JB played two years at St. John’s University, New York. C-Mac played a season at Syracuse University, also in New York. There’s a seven-year difference in their ages but C-Mac said they got to play pick-up games together. C-Mac made it to the NBA, playing three seasons with Brooklyn and Washington as the Nets’ first round draft pick in 2015. JB was never drafted, played two NBA Summer Leagues with New York and one with Charlotte and gained a winner’s reputation all over the world, claiming championships in Lebanon, UAE, Indonesia, ABL, SEA Games and Asian Games.

The big difference between the two imports in Game 3 was C-Mac took 30 attempts and JB, 21, meaning there was more involvement of teammates at Ginebra. C-Mac and RR Pogoy took 60 of TNT’s 82 shots or 73 percent, leaving few opportunities for teammates to score. Calvin Oftana, for instance, never got his rhythm and went 1-of-8 after averaging 14.6 points in the elims and 14.2 in the semis. Ginebra had five players in double digit points compared to TNT’s three. Ginebra racked up 27 assists and TNT, 22. In Ginebra’s two wins in the Finals, it averaged 28.5 assists. In the Game 2 loss, Ginebra was held to 17.

Coach Tim Cone sat out Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar and Troy Rosario in the fourth quarter of Game 2 while Stephen Holt played only 18 seconds in the same period. Ginebra clawed back from 19 down to start the last 12 minutes and brought the lead down to four with 58 seconds left but Cone kept Thompson, Rosario and Aguilar glued on the bench. If the gambit was to preserve them for Game 3, it worked. In Game 3, Thompson broke out with a triple double – 17 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists. Rosario had nine points, Aguilar 11 and Holt 23. Cone realized the importance of winning Game 3 where he rolled the dice and played a short rotation.

In Game 4, coach Chot Reyes will no doubt make adjustments, expected to be in the realm of ball movement and smoother teamwork. Cone’s nucleus was overworked in Game 3 and he’ll likely stretch his rotation to get more minutes for bench players. TNT can’t afford another hiccup and it’s a virtual do-or-die tonight. 2-2 or 3-1 will be the series count when the smoke clears.