After a disappointing Commissioner’s Cup campaign, the Tropang Giga are headed back to the finals of the Governors' Cup.
The TNT Tropang Giga proved to be just too much for the Meralco Bolts as they eliminated their sister team in Game 4 of the PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals, 107-92, on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was all over the floor once more for the Tropang Giga as he finished with 42 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Eager to close out the best-of-five series in four games, the TNT import nudged his team towards getting composed as Meralco refused to completely fold. RHJ's ways, apparently, worked.
“I gave a quote [to the team]. 'Deep breath is the nervous system's best friend.' So, we talked about staying calm, staying poised, and expecting the unexpected, so we did a good job at that,” said Hollis-Jefferson during the post-game press conference.
Coach Jojo Lastimosa also lauded the team’s effort as he got solid production outside of the former Brooklyn Net. Forward Calvin Oftana finished with 21 points, while spitfire guard Mikey Williams had 17 markers. RR Pogoy also added 16 points of his own.
“The players understand the situation that if they needed to step up, the guys answer the call,” said Lastimosa. “We needed everybody to step in because in the playoff situation, points are hard to come by and you're gonna need to grind out.”
TNT will have more than a week of rest and practice as they set up a showdown against crowd-favorites and defending champions, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
Game 1 of the PBA Governors’ Cup finals will begin on Sunday, April 9 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.