TNT Tropang Giga import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson vowed to keep getting better as the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup finals continue.
The Tropang Giga might have claimed Game 1, 95-89, at the Mall of Asia Arena, but Hollis-Jefferson acknowledged the potential of their rivals, the Gin Kings.
Their resilience, popularly known as never-say-die spirit, showed up last Friday, March 14 — down 16 at the half, 55-39, the Ginebra side managed to claw their way back and trim down that deficit to four, 93-89, seconds before the buzzer sounded.
Hollis-Jefferson might have sealed the deal after a two-for-two conversion on the 15-foot-line in the dying seconds, making it a two-possession match at 95-89 which turned out to be the final score, but he still knows the capabilities and resiliency of the Justin Brownlee-backed squad.
“They were down 16 at halftime, and then they ended up losing by six. It could have been the other way around. So you got to put all those things into consideration when we talk about resiliency,” Hollis-Jefferson said.
“But we got Game 1, and now it’s about focusing on the next game and doing what we have to do to be better, to not let the lead drop, to not let those mental lapses that we have take over the game,” he went on.
“So, it’s about getting better.”
The two-time Governors’ Cup Best Import promised to give it all while he is on the floor.
“We want to win every game. We want to compete at the highest level,” he said.
“Whatever happens, at the end of the day, you want to be able to believe in your guys, to never give up, to keep going until the end of the game.”
Hollis-Jefferson led by example tonight, showing his A-game with 34 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, one steal and a block. (ABS-CBN News)