Though Rain or Shine made it tough for him, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson managed to come up with an all-around outing in TNT's finals-clinching win in Game 5.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson could finally heave a sigh of relief after TNT finished off Rain or Shine in Game 5 of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup semifinals on Friday, Oct. 19.
This stemmed from the fact that Elasto Painters made things tough for him the entire best-of-seven series.
“First of all, I want to give credit to the other team. They made me work for everything. It was a tough battle,” said the reigning Best Import after the Tropang Giga's 113-95 finals-clinching win at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.
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Hollis-Jefferson fired 36 points on a 14-for-23 clip. But he had to work hard for every shot he made.
“Even though we won, 4-1, you've got to give credit to those guys (Rain or Shine). They were rotating on me; they were playing excellent defense,” added the naturalized player for Jordan, who also had 10 rebounds, nine assists, six steals and a block.
“I think, aside from tonight, I struggled from the field. You've got to give credit to guys who are willing to put that effort forward to stop someone as good as I am.”
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In the end, Hollis-Jefferson honored his teammates.
“But I also want to give credit to my team. This win wasn’t just for me. It was about the people that helped us,” Hollis-Jefferson said.
“It was about the support staff. It’s about the guys that don’t play. They may not be doing as good, [but] this is about them. We put it all out there and got the win for them.”
The former Brooklyn Net and the rest of the Tropang Giga await the winner between Ginebra and San Miguel, which will still meet in Game 6 in their side of the semifinals.
The Gin Kings lead, 3-2.