TNT wins it in OT

TNT realized a glorious ending in front of a 21,274-strong crowd with an 87-83 Game 7 overtime victory over Barangay Ginebra for an epic conclusion of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup championship Friday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Calvin Oftana delivered the dagger basket off a broken play, picking up the loose ball that slipped off the hands of a triple-teamed Rondae Hollis-Jefferson before driving hard for the layup that bagged the Tropang Giga’s 11th title overall.

TNT displayed nerves of steel, hanging tough in the endgame to capture their second title of the season after ruling the Governors’ Cup at the expense of the same tough rival.

Hollis-Jefferson made his first PBA Game 7 all the more memorable with his third title with the Tropang Giga to go with his third Best Import award. He had 25 points and 12 rebounds in 53 minutes of play despite hurting his left leg late in regulation.

Oftana, who only had two points in the first half, finished with 10 points and six rebounds for TNT, which doubled its title head-to-head lead over Ginebra to 4-2.

Glenn Khobuntin played the unlikely hero, hitting crucial baskets in the edge-of-your-seat fourth quarter and overtime, including a big trey with 2:22 left in the extension in TNT’s 6-0 start for an 85-79 advantage.

Ginebra answered with three straight points to cut down the Tropang Giga’s lead to a single possession. The Kings had a chance to take the lead but Scottie Thompson missed an open triple before Oftana’s heroics.

Justin Brownlee had one last shot for Ginebra but misfired on his potential game-tying four-pointer.

Rey Nambatac was named Finals Most Valuable Player following a 22-point performance.

Brownlee knocked down a well-defended trey to knot the game at 79 with 16.7 seconds remaining in regulation. Ginebra made a good defensive stop, forcing Hollis-Jefferson to heave a forced shot as time expired.

The second serving of the two proud franchises’ championship collision of the season was one for the books, filled with layers of storylines and never lacking in drama.

TNT came into the series without its veteran leader and Governors’ Cup Finals Most Valuable Player Jayson Castro after sustaining a season-ending knee injury in the semifinals.

Despite a man down, the Tropang Giga drew first blood only for the Kings to fight back in Game 2. After splitting the first two matches, TNT looked ready for the kill as Brownlee sustained a concerning dislocated right thumb for a 2-1 lead.

Hurting and all, Brownlee soldiered on and led Ginebra to back-to-back wins to get on the hilt. Refusing to go down without a fight, TNT led by Hollis-Jefferson and a surprise fourth quarter explosion from JP Erram, who had a series of meltdowns in the series, including a shouting match with Reyes in Game 5, essayed an equalizer last Wednesday to pave the way for a winner-take-all.

The decider was a defensive chess match with the Tropang Giga taking a 40-35 lead in a low-scoring first half.

TNT raced to a 22-12 advantage with less than two minutes left in the opening period, only to allow Ginebra to mount a 10-0 turnaround to knot the count early in the second period.

Nambatac pushed the Tropang Giga’s advantage to 38-29 before Brownlee answered with back-to-back treys. Hollis-Jefferson stopped the bleeding with a tomahawk dunk over Japeth Aguilar.

Brownlee finished with 28 points while Aguilar had 15 points.