The PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals is tied at 1-1 after the TNT Tropang 5G held on for a 101-94 victory over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in Game 2 on Friday. And according to Ginebra guard RJ Abarrientos, the loss was largely due to their bad start and poor defense.
“Bad start, bad start kami talaga. I’m not sure na gumanda na [’yung depensa namin compared to Game 1] kasi ’yun nga sabi ko, bad start kami so lahat naman ’yun mag-iistart sa defense eh,” said Abarrientos in an a postgame interview with Rebanse.
Bad Defense Was Ginebra’s Undoing
The numbers reflected Abarrientos’ assessment. In the first half, Ginebra struggled to contain TNT offensively as the Tropang 5G shot 51.3% from the field, converting 20 of their 39 attempts.
The Gin Kings, meanwhile, shot just 32.5% from the floor, making only 13 of their 40 field-goal attempts.
“’Yun nga sabi ko kanina, sa depensa namin nung first five talaga ang sama, ang sama ng start namin kaya nag-set ng tone hanggang all the way ganun ’yung nangyari sa amin,” said the reigning Rookie of the Year.
In the fourth quarter, Ginebra turned to its bench unit composed of John Abis, Isaac Go, Jeremiah Gray, Nards Pinto, and Ralph Cu. The group sparked a rally that trimmed the deficit to just 4 points, 98-94.
“So, pagdating ng fourth talagang hinabol namin, panapos na kami pero dapat sa umpisa pa lang ma-start na namin defense namin and magkaroon na ng momentum,” added the 26-year-old spitfire.
Abarrientos and Justin Brownlee eventually returned to the floor in the final period, but TNT made enough plays to fend off that last-ditch rally.
RJ Abarrientos Offers Up No Excuses for Game 2 Loss
While heartbreaking, Abarrientos has already put the loss on the rearview mirror and is looking to adjust in Game 3.
“No excuses, bawi na lang, tignan namin ’yung pwede naming ma-adjust come Game 3,” said Abarrientos.
With a day of rest before Game 3 this Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, all eyes will be on how the Gin Kings adjust their defensive approach in an effort to regain control of the series.
