MANILA, Philippines — On a stormy Thursday, stalwarts and officials of holder TNT and challenger Barangay Ginebra gathered together for the customary pre-PBA Governors’ Cup finals press conference.
Call it the “calm before the storm.”
“It’s a very, very interesting finals for me, for the PBA and for the fans,” said TNT governor and PBA chairman Ricky Vargas.
He listed several reasons why this is so.
There’s the top-notch coaching battle between TNT’s Chot Reyes and Ginebra’s Tim Cone, the former and current coach, respectively, of Gilas Pilipinas.
Then there’s the naturalized player of Jordan, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and his Philippine counterpart, Justin Brownlee, both PBA Best Import awardees, in a rematch.
It’s also a battle between the defending champions versus the darlings of the crowd, a team with the mantra “no excuses” against a squad with “never-say-die” attitude.
And it’s the first time for TNT and Ginebra to face off after their last title showdown in Season 47.
On a side note, Vargas expects a fun matchup between his ballclub and that of Ginebra governor Alfrancis Chua.
“I’m looking forward to, I hope, a friendly game with my friend Alfrancis. You know how exciting it can be and we look forward to giving the fans the best basketball each team can give,” said Vargas.
“It’s about two great coaches na maglalaban. They know each other. They know their styles so maganda ‘yan, palaisipan,” said Chua.
With the typhoon battering the country, Vargas announced that full proceeds from ticket sales of Game 1 slated Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City will be donated to victims through the Alagang Kapatid Foundation of TV5. Commissioner Willie Marcial estimated sales at around P1.5 to P2 million.
The Tropang Giga and the Gin Kings both expressed excitement to get the show on the road.
“Just very, very happy to be here to play against a tough team, an excellent coach,” said Reyes. “I think in the end, magkakatalo how the players execute and the team that’s able to exert their own style of play and their will on the basketball court (will prevail).”
“You work so hard to get to this point, now it’s almost like a do-or-die,” said Cone. “It’s going to be really disappointing for us if we don’t win this after getting this far. If we do win, we’ll be really ecstatic. That’s where we are right now. I think our players are ready. I’m sure TNT is so ready it’s kind of like (we) can’t wait to get it on.”