TNT's decision to start Kelly Williams in Game 5 paid off big time as it took the lead anew against Ginebra in the PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup Finals.
Defending champ TNT chose to shake things up to start Game 5 of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup Finals as it fielded in veteran big man Kelly Williams as a starter instead of Poy Erram.
That decision paid off big time for the Tropang Giga as Williams scored the team’s first seven points, keying the squad's hot start that led to their 27-point romp, 99-72, over Ginebra at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
TNT is thus just a win away from lifting the crown for the second straight time.
Williams went on to collect 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting, along with three boards.
Tropang Giga head coach Chot Reyes had nothing but praise for Williams, who has been a fixture in his TNT team since the 2010s.
“We’ve been together for a long time, Kelly and I. We’ve built that strong trust relationship. I just told Kelly that I’m going to trust you to come in because we need Kelly Williams for us to have a chance, for us to be able to compete against a tough Ginebra team,” Reyes said during the post-game press conference.
[WATCH: TNT halts Ginebra, seizes pivotal 3-2 lead in Finals | PBA Highlights]
Coming into Game 5, Williams had been quiet from the field, but a straightforward talk with Reyes seemingly pumped the former Most Valuable Player back into life.
“We all know what Kelly can do. It’s just that he was not in his usual game in the entire series,” said Reyes.
“We just a had good team conversation yesterday before practice and I was just very straightforward. I told Kelly we’re not going to win the series without him contributing,” he added.
Kelly Williams tries to challenge Justin Brownlee's shot in Game 5 of the PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup Finals. | Photo (c) RM Chua/One Sports
But more than his early scoring outburst, it was Williams’ defensive presence that was sorely missed by the Tropang Giga.
“Kelly’s contribution to us is his defensive ability and his energy. He does a lot of things for us defensively that’s very important in our scheme of things,” said Reyes.
“We hope he can sustain it some more for the rest of the series.”
Williams was one of five TNT players that finished in double-digit scoring with Best Import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and RR Pogoy leading the way with 16 markers apiece.
Calvin Oftana, picked as Player of the Game, had 15 points, while Jayson Castro contributed 10 in the big win.
Scottie Thompson and LA Tenorio paced the Gin Kings with 13 points each as reinforcement Justin Brownlee struggled with eight points on 3-for-13 shooting.
The Tropang Giga will aim to wrap up their title retention campaign on Friday, Nov. 8, also at the Big Dome.
The Scores:
TNT 99 – Hollis-Jefferson 16, Pogoy 16, Oftana 15, Williams 11, Castro 10, Nambatac 7, Erram 7, Exciminano 6, Khobuntin 4, Heruela 3, Aurin 2, Galinato 2, Payawal 0, Ebona 0, Varilla 0.
Ginebra 72 – Thompson 13, Tenorio 13, Holt 10, Brownlee 8, Abarrientos 7, J.Aguilar 6, Cu 5, R.Aguilar 5, Pessumal 4, Ahanmisi 1, Pinto 0, Adamos 0
Quarterscores: 26-20, 56-33, 79-48, 99-72