Barangay Ginebra San Miguel has done it.
Pushed to the limit by the TNT Tropang 5G, Ginebra responded in kind, hacking out a thrilling 88-76 victory on Wednesday to win the PBA Commissioner’s Cup title in front of a record 24,000-plus fans at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. With the victory, the barangay sealed the franchise’s 16th title overall and first since 2023.
What Happened?
Game 7 began as a defensive battle, with neither team surrendering 20 points. Ginebra, though, grabbed a slim 18-16 lead. TNT then asserted control in the second canto, pouring in 31 points to the crowd darlings’ 22 to seize a 47-40 halftime lead.
TNT continued to control the tempo of Game 7 after halftime, answering every Ginebra rally with a mini-burst of its own to maintain a 63-56 advantage after a Jordan Heading trey in transition. Then, Ginebra mounted an uprising, scoring the next 12 points—seven from Justin Brownlee and five from Scottie Thompson—to zoom ahead, 68-63, heading into the final frame.
In the fourth quarter, it was Ginebra’s turn to fight off TNT, and it did so for much of the first six minutes as it kept the lead in the six- to seven-point range. The Tropa, however, rallied to within 77-74 as Chris McCullough began asserting his inside dominance. TNT had three chances to slice that lead down further but came up empty each time, until Nards Pinto hit a corner triple to push Ginebra’s lead to 80-74. Another trey, this time from RJ Abarrientos off a Stephen Holt offensive rebound, all but sealed the outcome of Game 7 as it gave the crowd favorites an 83-76 cushion with time down to 1:59.
Who Stood Out?
Brownlee again led the way, firing 30 points on top of 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. He also jumpstarted that 12-0 run to end the third with a bucket and an and-1. He got some support this time as well, with Thompson putting up 19 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals after sustaining a cut just below his eye just a minute into Game 7. He was later named PBA Finals MVP.
For TNT, it was McCullough who did the heavy lifting in the second half, where he scored most of his 28 points. He added 22 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Heading also starred for the Tropa, tallying 21 points, including TNT’s first 10 of the game.
3 Keys to the Game
- Defense. Dragged by TNT into a defensive battle, Ginebra showed it can win games that route, holding the Tropa to 31.5% shooting overall. The barangay also forced the Tropang 5G into 14 turnovers.
- Points off turnovers. Those 14 turnovers from TNT proved huge, as they resulted in a 12-4 advantage for Ginebra in points off turnovers. In a game where points were hard to come by, those extra points mattered a lot in the end.
- The OGs. For all of RJ Abarrientos’s brilliance in this conference, two franchise cornerstones—Thompson and Brownlee—still finished the job. Multiple-time champions, Thompson and Brownlee made all the big plays for Ginebra while also sparking that pivotal 12-0 run in the third.
Next Up for the PBA
PBA Governors’ Cup to start in July.
