TNT claims PBA Commissioner's Cup crown with OT takedown of Barangay Ginebra

TNT once again rules the PBA, this time in the Commissioner's Cup.

In a series that needed seven games to be decided, it took five more minutes to formally crown the kings of the hardcourt.

TNT emerged victorious against Barangay Ginebra, 87-83, in overtime in Game 7 to take home the PBA Commissioner's Cup title on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

In front of a crowd of 21, 274, fans were treated as TNT clinched its 11th overall title.

Barangay Ginebra was catching up on TNT until the final seconds of regulation.

Then Justin Brownlee happened.

With 21 seconds left, Brownlee drilled from the three-point arc to tie the game, 79-79, which eventually forced the game into overtime.

Barangay Ginebra, however, lagged as TNT had a 6-0 run highlighted by a Glenn Khobuntin triple to get an 85-79 lead.

Japeth Aguilar broke the Ginebra dry spell just before the two-minute mark. Jamie Malonzo's freebies off a Rey Nambatac foul with less than a minute left then put Ginebra closer, 85-83. 

Calvin Oftana then sank one from under the basket to give TNT enough breathing room heading into the dying moments of the game.

Brownlee attempted from beyond the arcs but missed, and eventually, the Tropang Giga celebrated as the final buzzer was heard all over the Big Dome.

Asked about how TNT managed to survive Barangay Ginebra's late attempt, head coach Chot Reyes said: "Just with pure guts. There's no other way."

Actually, the last four or five minutes of regulation, they called the timeout. I think Coach Tim [Cone] called the timeout. We were up by two, two or three points. I said at this point, there's no more strategy. It's just about grit and determination, just about making stops and making the extra effort to create that stop," Cone added.

"I think I almost paid for that gamble of getting a fresh guy, a cold guy in Paul Varilla. We really all prepared him the whole series for such a situation like this. But unfortunately, Justin did what Justin does. He just makes those unbelievably difficult and great shots."

"In the huddle in between the fourth quarter and the overtime, I said, 'Hey, we're okay. We're okay. It's a tight ballgame. We're still in this game.' So I said, 'Don't lose heart. Don't lose heart.'"

"We're right in this ballgame. Let's just scratch and claw. So that's the only way we were able to survive."

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who was already limping in the final minutes of the game, had 25 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block.

Nambatac, who had 22 points built on four triples in Game 7, was named as Finals MVP. He had averages of 17.85 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game in the series, including a playoff career-high 23 points in Game 6 of the finals.

Brownlee, meanwhile, had 28 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists, while Japeth Aguilar had 15 points, 11 rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block for Barangay Ginebra. Aguilar had 15 points, 11 rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block, while Scottie Thompson almost had a triple-double with 13 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and a steal.

TNT drew first blood before Barangay Ginebra equalized the series by Game 2. The Tropang Giga took a 2-1 lead then in Game 4, despite Brownlee being injured, Barangay Ginebra won and evened the series. 

Barangay Ginebra inched closer to the title in Game 5 but TNT forced do-or-die in Game 6.

Four months ago, the two teams also met in the finals of the PBA Governors' Cup with TNT taking home the title in six games.

—GMA Integrated News