Barangay Ginebra San Miguel locked up the second seed in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup with a win over the TNT Tropang 5G on Sunday. With that, the crowd favorites sealed a quarterfinal showdown with the seventh‑seeded Phoenix Fuel Masters, who are widely viewed as the “lightest” assignment among the bottom four teams that made it to the playoffs.
For RJ Abarrientos and his fellow ka‑barangay, that hardly matters. They could face anyone else, for all they care.
“Hindi namin iniisip sino ‘yung mga kalaban namin,” Abarrientos told reporters on Sunday after dropping 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists on TNT. “Kung ano ‘yung mga kalaban namin, ‘yun na ‘yun. Kumbaga pag‑uusapan, makapag‑prepare kami ng maayos.”
As it is, Ginebra has Phoenix standing in the way of another semis stint. And now Abarrientos and company can focus on the Fuel Masters, who have had a renaissance of sorts under new coach Charles Tiu.
Ginebra, RJ Abarrientos Go Back to Basics
As RJ Abarrientos and his teammates prepare for Phoenix armed with a win‑once edge, they are taking to heart a back‑to‑basics mindset—something Tim Cone has repeatedly preached, according to the sophomore guard.
“Unang‑una, siguro, ‘yung ginagawa lang namin at pinag‑uusapan namin sa team is we just play our game,” Abarrientos noted. “Number one, bumalik kami sa fundamentals namin. Like, Coach Tim, sinabi sa amin nung huddle namin, back to basic, back to our fundamentals.”
This conference, the fundamentals appear to be Cone specials: ball and player movement on offense, and discipline on defense.
Fundamentals and Sticking Together
With higher stakes, RJ Abarrientos knows that sticking to those fundamentals could mean the difference between a deep run and an abbreviated exit. That, and continuous production from everyone, including the bench.
“‘Yun lang ‘yung nag‑i‑stick kami together doing that. And then, nakikita naman natin ‘yung effort ng bawat isa—guys from the bench also contribute,” Abarrientos added. “‘Yun lang, ‘yung number one namin dito is ‘yung habit and going back to ‘yung fundamentals namin.”
RJ Abarrientos and his teammates have done a good job so far. They will need to do even better
