For RHJ, it’s about getting better

March 18, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — After failing to convert his last-gasp attempt at the game-winner against a wall of defenders, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson lay down on the floor for extra seconds, absorbing the missed opportunity to steal Game 2 for TNT.

His teammates went over to RHJ’s spot and encircled him, letting their beloved import know that everything’s fine despite the 70-71 loss that enabled Ginebra to tie the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals at 1-1.

“Sabi ko nga sa dugout ‘live and die’ kami kay RHJ,” said RR Pogoy, expressing the Tropang Giga’s immense faith in the two-time Best Import that helped them to two Governors’ Cup titles.

With Ginebra erasing TNT’s three-point cushion and going up by one on a four-point cluster from Justin Brownlee, the Tropang Giga put the ball in the hands of the ever-reliable Hollis-Jefferson.

But this time, it didn’t work out the way it normally did.

Hounded by the double-team of Stephen Holt and Scottie Thompson, RHJ couldn’t launch a decent shot and beat the buzzer with 32.5 seconds left.

TNT managed to retrieve possession on a steal by Calvin Oftana on the other end, giving themselves 7.3 ticks to execute a final offensive. RHJ received the inbounds pass from Pogoy, dribbled closer to the basket as Thompson joined primary defender Holt and disturbed the TNT import’s ball control, leaving him little room and time as he shot an off-balanced jumper.

“I’ll probably watch that shot 20 times. You know, the last two or three possessions I didn’t even get a shot on. That’s on me,” Hollis-Jefferson said. “I mean, that’s something I want to get better at, learn from it, grow from it. I’ll watch it. I’m not afraid to see where I messed up, where I made a mistake.”