Barangay Ginebra responded when it mattered most, securing a crucial 116-102 victory over TNT Tropang 5G in Game 3 of the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila on Sunday.
Here's a deeper look at the two players who fueled Ginebra's potent offensive performance and helped the Gin Kings take a 2-1 lead in the series.
Stephen Holt's assertiveness to take good looks
Ginebra knew Stephen Holt was capable of much more than the 0.5 points per game he averaged through the first two Finals contests. The challenge was never about talent but about finding the confidence and opportunities to stay involved offensively. In Game 3, Holt did exactly that.
After attempting just five shots in each of the first two games, the former No. 1 overall pick came out with a completely different mindset. He erupted for 15 first-quarter points on a perfect 5-for-5 clip, knocking down all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. More importantly, he was decisive whenever he had the ball, wasting little time before rising up for open looks.
Many of those opportunities came from TNT's defensive game plan. With the Tropang 5G switching ball screens, loading up on Justin Brownlee's drives, and showing extra attention whenever RJ Abarrientos initiated the offense, gaps naturally opened up on the perimeter. Holt became the primary beneficiary, consistently finding space as TNT's defense tilted toward Ginebra's stars.
Unlike the first two games, Holt never hesitated. He trusted the read, trusted the shot, and made TNT pay for every defensive rotation. While Ginebra attempted only 19 three-pointers despite being a perimeter-oriented team, Holt's early barrage was enough to force the Tropang 5G into thinking twice about overcommitting to Brownlee and Abarrientos. When Holt is this aggressive, Ginebra's offense becomes far more difficult to stop.
Brownlee's iso-ball at the low block area
TNT has made a living throughout the playoffs by relentlessly hunting mismatches, often using RR Pogoy and their guards to attack the weakest defender on the floor. But on the other side stands perhaps the most dangerous mismatch hunter in the league today in Brownlee.
After finding success in Game 2 by placing Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser on Abarrientos and switching the Brownlee-Abarrientos ball screens, the Tropang 5G managed to take away one of Ginebra's favorite offensive actions. In Game 3, however, head coach Tim Cone made the necessary adjustment by finding different ways to get Brownlee touches, particularly in areas where he could immediately attack favorable matchups.
Rather than relying heavily on direct ball screens, Ginebra utilized off-ball screening actions from their triangle offense to free Brownlee and force TNT into difficult switching situations. Once Brownlee caught the ball deep in the low-post or along the left block, the defense was already at a disadvantage. TNT often had to send extra help to prevent him from going one-on-one, and those rotations opened up clean perimeter looks for teammates, including the early opportunities that helped Holt find his rhythm.
But there were also stretches when no help could arrive in time. Whether it was a great defender in Sean Quitevis, Pogoy, or another smaller defender switched onto him, Brownlee simply went to work. He repeatedly punished those matchups with his footwork, strength, and touch around the basket, finishing with 41 points while shooting a blistering 14-for-19 from inside the arc. As the game wore on, scoring from the low block became his bread and butter, and TNT had no consistent answer once he established position -- with their bigs also in the perimeter due to the switching scheme.