RJ Abarrientos wanted this one badly. And it showed on his face before Game 6 started.
The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel guard delivered back-to-back monster performances to close out the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals—and earned the PBA Press Corps Player of the Week citation for the period May 27–31 for his trouble. It is the last weekly award of the conference.
Abarrientos averaged 23 points, 6.0 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.0 steals as the Gin Kings closed out the series—numbers that tell the story of a player who took the weight of Ginebra’s local crew on his back and carried it all the way to the Finals.
RJ Abarrientos Delivers Closeout Masterpiece
The signature moment came in Game 6. With the series on the line and a Finals berth at stake, Abarrientos erupted for 30 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals in Ginebra’s 118-107 series-clinching win. Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone saw it coming before tip-off.
“His determination was just amazing,” Cone said. “You could see it. I saw it in the locker room before the game. I can see it even yesterday during our film meeting. He just had it on his face and his body language that he is going to come out and have a big game.”
Clutch RJ Abarrientos in Game 5
It was. But Game 5 might have been just as important.
A game after Abarrientos managed just 8 points in a 97-85 Game 4 defeat—a night where he barely got touches—he responded with 31 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals in an 111-104 win that gave Ginebra a commanding 3-2 series lead. Two quiet halves in Game 4 became the fuel for back-to-back performances that finished Rain or Shine off.
Ginebra now faces the TNT Tropang 5G in the Finals—and Abarrientos gets another shot at something he has been chasing his entire career: a PBA championship ring. The gifted guard has all the individual accolades. What has eluded him is a title.
The Finals start soon. For RJ Abarrientos, the timing could not be better.
