TALK 'N TEXT (TNT) shoots for a 2-0 series bulge against Barangay Ginebra as Game 2 of the PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup shifts to the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.
The Tropang Giga took Game 1, 104-88, behind their strong defensive effort where over 11,000 fans came to watch and pack the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
But TNT coach Chot Reyes is expecting Ginebra to make its own adjustment heading to their 7:30 p.m. encounter in Game 2.
"This is just one game. We know Ginebra is going to come back and make its adjustments so we have to be ready for Game 2," Reyes said.
Reyes' wards played excellent defense in the series-opening game that allowed them to hold the Gin Kings to just 2-of-21 from downtown.
As always the Tropang Giga will be relying once more on do-it-all reinforcement Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, a cinch to win his second Best Import award, who tallied 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in Game 1.
The former Brooklyn Nets forward played nearly 46 minutes as he provided the game-long hustle and offense for the Tropang Giga, who is shooting for their 10th PBA championship overall.
"That's the kind of player he is," Reyes said of the 29-year-old Hollis-Jefferson. "That's why we played him the way we played him throughout the run up to the Finals and within the semifinals."
For Ginebra coach Tim Cone, the Gin Kings will have to quickly move forward, knowing that sulking in that 16-point beating won't do them any good.
"We've got to turnaround and move on, and see what we can do to change our fortunes in Game 2," shared Cone, whose team lost to TNT, 4-2 in the Finals of this same conference during the 2023 season.
Ginebra's resident import Justin Brownlee will be at the forefront once more as the three-time PBA Best Import is eager to help the Gin Kings secure a bounce-back win in Game 2.
But for the Gin Kings to secure their first win in the title series, local stars like Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar, Maverick Ahanmisi and even Stephen Holt will have to get their offense going as well.
Game 1 saw Thompson and rookie RJ Abarrientos as the Ginebra players to account for the team's two three-point baskets.
But knowing Cone, the PBA's all-time winning coach, Ginebra is primed for a solid game plan to counter TNT's choking defense and allow the Gin Kings to get their main gunners to get to key spots for offense.