BEST Player of the Conference candidate RJ Abarrientos of Barangay Ginebra said the team’s recent tough semifinal series against Rain or Shine prepared the Gin Kings for the “Last Dance” against defending PBA Commissioner’s Cup champion TNT.
The Gin Kings engaged the Elasto Painters in a back-and-forth competition in the semifinal series that Ginebra eventually won in six grueling games last Sunday.
“The Rain or Shine series has helped us a lot, with all the bumping, physicality, the mental (challenges), all those prepared us (for the finals),” Abarrientos said after leading Ginebra to a nail-biting 102-100 win against TNT in Game 1 of the PBA Finals last Wednesday.
The reigning PBA Rookie of the Year scored 10 points, highlighted by 2-of-2 shooting from four-point zone in the last period to quell TNT’s furious rally after being down by 18 points in Game 1.
Abarrientos went on to finish with a team-high 24 points and seven assists.
“We just stayed on the game and be composed till the end, but the third and fourth quarter, we weren’t able to do well, but we have to be better as a team,” he said.
Communication, he added, is critical for the Gin Kings if they even want to entertain thoughts of winning the PBA championship and end their three runner-up finishes to the Tropang 5G dating back to the 2023 Governors’ Cup.
“Even though we’re down (in Game 1), we just stayed composed, and just communicated as a team,” he said.
