Match made in heaven

Match made in heaven | Daily Tribune

Tomorrow, two of the best teams in the country — TNT Tropang Giga and Barangay Ginebra — will collide to kick off their Governors’ Cup best-of-seven finals series in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). It’s a duel everybody wants to see, a match in basketball heaven.

With a prolific import in Justin Brownlee at the helm, the Kings won four of the last five Governors’ Cup titles in impressive fashion.

But last year, a miracle happened.

The Tropang Giga pulled off a shocker when they let go of their high-scoring reinforcement in Jalen Hudson despite leading them to five victories in their first six matches. The gamble was met with a lot of criticism. After all, Hudson was regarded as one of the league’s finest imports after posting eye-popping numbers of 33.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 4.1 assists while shooting a red-hot 41 percent from the field in his first six games.

The Tropang Giga, however, still pushed through with the substitution and brought in a seasoned journeyman who had significant experience playing in the National Basketball Association — Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

The move paid a handsome reward as the hardworking 6-foot-6 forward made his presence felt on both ends while providing intangibles like strong leadership, hustle and the ability to take charge when the game is on the line.

With Hollis-Jefferson on board, the Tropang Giga made it all the way to the finals to gain a golden chance of challenging Brownlee and the powerhouse Kings.

Ginebra won Game 1, but Hollis-Jefferson waxed hot, rallying the Tropang Giga to impressive wins in Games 2, 4, and 5 before delivering the deadly blow in Game 6 with a 97-93 victory to wrap up the series at 4-2.

But lifting the Governors’ Cup trophy wasn’t the end of Hollis-Jefferson’s rivalry with Brownlee. Actually, it was just the start.

A few months later, Hollis-Jefferson suited up for Jordan in the 19th Asian Games, putting him on a collision course with Gilas Pilipinas, which was being mentored by Ginebra coach Tim Cone with Brownlee as its naturalized player.

Jordan prevailed in their first meeting to deny Gilas a chance to sweep the preliminaries and send them to a dangerous duel with host country China in the semifinals.

Still, Brownlee refused to roll over. He rallied Gilas Pilipinas to a miraculous 77-76 victory over the seemingly unbeatable Chinese before booking an 87-62 win over Hollis-Jefferson and the Jordanians to clinch the Filipinos’ first Asian Games gold medal in 61 years.

The win was greatly celebrated back home, with Brownlee being revered as a national treasure for the resilience, fighting spirit, and bravery he showed just to bring glory to the country that embraced him.

But Brownlee still has a mission to fulfill: to redeem the Governors’ Cup jewel that was taken away from them by Hollis-Jefferson and the Tropang Giga last year.

With this narrative in play, there is no doubt that emotions will soar when the Kings and the Tropang Giga launch their title quests on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

And it’s going to be good not just for the PBA, but for the entire country as well.

You see, the Filipinos are still nursing the impact of the devastation brought by tropical storm “Kristine” last week. More than 20 lives were lost, while countless properties and livelihoods were damaged.

Someething that will cheer them up, something that will distract them from the harsh reality sparked by the massive impact of one of the strongest typhoons to hit the country this year.

With two of the country’s most popular teams — Ginebra and TNT — clashing for the ultimate title, there is no doubt that the sorrow brought by “Kristine” will somehow be reduced. In the end, it’s neither the Kings nor the Tropang Giga who will emerge victorious — it’s the basketball-loving Filipinos.

Truly, the upcoming title showdown is very important. It’s more than just a slugfest between two corporate rivals; it’s about entertaining the Filipinos and lifting their spirits, reminding them that there’s always sunshine after the rain.

May the best team win.