The PBA Governors’ Cup had been Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s stomping grounds in recent years, winning the championship four times in five finals appearances. But this time around, an abbreviated stint looked like a distinct possibility. Jamie Malonzo and Jeremiah Gray, part of the team’s youth brigade, were still out. Rookie RJ Abarrientos and newcomers Stephen Holt, Isaac Go, and Ben Adamos still had to be integrated into Tim Cone’s nuanced system. And MVP candidate Christian Standhardinger was somewhere else.
A 1-2 start—including a loss to perennial bottom-dweller Blackwater Bossing—seemed to point to a less-than-stellar conference for Ginebra, while a 1-2 finish to the elimination round appeared to signal rocky waters leading to the playoffs. Then, facing off with familiar nemesis Meralco Bolts, everything seemed to click once more for the Barangay, with Justin Brownlee and Scottie Thompson leading a clean sweep of their second-seeded counterparts.
Ginebra Leans on the Old Reliables
Brownlee and Thompson, along with big man Japeth Aguilar, have been three of Ginebra’s most reliable players, forming part of their championship core that has won seven titles (six with JB) in all in the past eight years. And with the team seemingly in flux this conference, all three have taken on even bigger roles, with Brownlee posting per-game norms of 25.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks in the eliminations and 31.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.8 blocks in the playoffs.
Thompson, meanwhile, has been his usual all-around self, averaging 14.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.3 steals in the elims and 15.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.6 steals in the postseason. Aguilar, on the other hand, is having one of his better, more consistent seasons yet, norming 18.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game all conference long. In fact, the 37-year-old Gilas mainstay has scored in double digits in 18 of Ginebra’s 19 games so far, including nine games of at least 20 markers, to highlight his superb play this conference.
The Next Man Up Is Stepping Up
The vets may be doing a lot of the heavy lifting for Ginebra this conference, but the four-time Governors’ Cup champs have gotten big games from the rest of the roster. From Stephen Holt going off for 30 points and 8 rebounds in the semis opener against the San Miguel Beermen to RJ Abarrientos exploding for a career-high 28 points in Game 5 to Maverick Ahanmisi dropping a conference-high 25 markers in the semis closer, Ginebra has gotten timely contributions from practically everyone else at the right time and at the right moment.
Even Joe Devance, plucked out of retirement by Coach Cone after almost three years away from the game, is doing exactly what he was brought in for to give Aguilar and Brownlee short spells each half. These contributions up and down the roster—some readily apparent, some a little more nuanced—highlight what has been Ginebra’s next-man-up mentality, which Ahanmisi says is the team’s defining characteristic this conference.
Shot at Redemption
After running through the gauntlet—Meralco in the quarters, San Miguel in the semis—to get to the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals, Ginebra’s reward will be former tormentor TNT Tropang Giga, who beat the Barangay in the finals of this same conference back in Season 47. And the Barangay can expect this showdown to be a proverbial war of attrition, where their offense will be tested by the TNT defense.
Indeed, the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals figures to be a contrast of styles, with TNT looking to slow down a Ginebra offense that has grown more and more potent this conference—101.8 points in the elims, 105.3 in the quarters, and 115.0 in the semis. Brownlee will again be looked upon to lead the way, but the Tropa’s Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, so far the only reinforcement to beat JB in a PBA final, sure will have other plans.
But, with a shot at redemption and revenge, can Ginebra continue its ascendant offense, or will TNT figure it out?
