INCREDIBLE HOLT: Defensive effort lifts Kings past Tropang Giga

Barangay Ginebra’s game plan was simple: Stop Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

In the past two games, they have been successful, thanks to a newcomer who is playing like a hungry wolf at the defensive end.

Kings coach Tim Cone made special mention of the great defensive effort done by Stephen Holt that led to their 106-92 win over TNT Tropang Giga in Game 4 of their Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup best-of-seven finals series late Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Holt, who joined the Kings in the off-season as part of the deal that sent Stanley Pringle and Christian Standhardinger to Terrafirma, put clamps on the prolific Jordanian-American import while posting solid numbers of 18 points, three rebounds and two assists.

With Holt providing support, the Kings were able to neutralize the Tropang Giga and knot the series at 2-2, reducing it into a best-of-three affair.

“Stephen’s doing an amazing job as well. So, this has been one of the huge keys of why we’re back in this series,” said Cone, who is no stranger to turning a huge deficit into overwhelming victories.

“We keep saying Rondae is special and he creates so much havoc on the floor defensively on the boards. But he also creates a lot of shots for his teammates.”

With Holt providing the defensive muscles, Hollis-Jefferson failed to dominate offensively in the past two games that the Kings won.

After erupting for 37 points and 13 rebounds in Game 2, the former National Basketball Association standout was limited to 24 points and 14 rebounds in Game 4 before finishing with 28 points and nine rebounds in Game 4.

Sure, his numbers were still solid, but it was very obvious that Hollis-Jefferson had a hard time performing as Holt made life very difficult for him.

Holt said he is just doing his part to slow down the Tropang Giga and help Ginebra reclaim the Governors’ Cup title they lost last year.

“I know I’m called an import stopper, but we’re not really stopping him. We’re just trying to make it difficult and so we’ve done a great job these last two games,” Holt, the top overall pick of last year’s draft, said.

“But again, at the end of the day, like there’s no secret how much I want to win. Whatever I gotta do to help this team.”

Holt also downplayed his 18-point explosion, saying that he is just staying ready whenever his teammates are there to set him up.

“My teammates found me when they needed to. I did my job and was able to be more aggressive and put more points in this game,” Holt said.

“The first three games I passed some open shots that I knew I needed to shoot and today I didn’t want to pass up any of those shots.”

Even TNT head coach Chot Reyes was impressed, admitting that the defense employed by Holt and Maverick Ahanmisi had doomed their chances to gain a 3-1 advantage.

“Holt was defending Rondae the whole game and he was still scoring,” Reyes said.

“We know Brownlee, Scottie and Japeth. Those guys are given. But the game of the two guys, they really gave us a lot of problems.”

“Hats off to Mav and Stephen. They made the game difficult for us.”