One foot in for both Barangay Ginebra and TNT Tropang 5G to reach the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup Finals.
But the question is: how do they get the other foot in?
Both teams are now staring at the same prize from opposite sides of the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup semifinals, and perhaps eye a historic repeat of their swashbuckling, hard-fought series in last year’s finals, where they combated tooth and nail until TNT prevailed with a 4-3 win, and a thrilling Game 7.
But neither team is celebrating yet.
Ginebra seized a 3-2 lead over Rain or Shine after a 111-104 Game 5 escape, while TNT moved to the same commanding position against Meralco following a 103-95 victory powered by the explosive return of Chris McCullough.
Both teams can close out their respective series on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. Both also know how quickly a 3-2 lead can turn into a nightmare.
For Ginebra coach Tim Cone, the warning was immediate.
“We’re not going to be happy with this win. We’ve been in this situation before. We led 3-2 and then got beat. Once by San Miguel, once by TNT,” Cone said.
The Gin Kings looked every bit like a team ready to return to the championship round in Game 5, leaning on a blazing one-two punch from RJ Abarrientos and Justin Brownlee.
Abarrientos delivered a bounce-back masterpiece after being held to just eight points in Game 4, erupting for 31 points and earning Best Player honors. Brownlee, as steady and ruthless as ever, poured in a game-high 32.
Together, they combined for 63 points, powering Ginebra to an 18-point lead before Rain or Shine mounted a third-quarter fightback. Just as the Elasto Painters threatened to swing momentum, Abarrientos drilled a four-point shot at the buzzer to restore a 12-point cushion and crush the rally.
For Rain or Shine, the equation is unforgiving. Coach Yeng Guiao and the Elasto Painters must win Game 6 to force a sudden-death Game 7 and keep their upset bid alive.
TNT, meanwhile, found its own hammer in McCullough.
After needing one game to regain his footing following TNT’s Game 4 loss to Meralco, McCullough returned to full force in Game 5, unloading 42 points and 11 rebounds in 37 punishing minutes.
“I just stayed aggressive,” McCullough said. “In practice, we worked on chemistry and things that work for us. The goal was to come out aggressive and do the things we did and we did it today.”
The former NBA player and ex-San Miguel import gave TNT the firepower it badly needed, attacking relentlessly and restoring the Tropang 5G’s edge in a series that has grown increasingly physical and tense.
Still, McCullough kept the same posture as Cone: no premature celebration.
“I’m just happy to be back and playing but the job’s not finished,” he said.
That unfinished business now carries bigger weight.
If Ginebra and TNT both finish the job, the PBA will get another finals rematch between two teams that defined Season 49. TNT beat Ginebra twice in the finals last season, first in the Governors’ Cup, then again in a seven-game Commissioner’s Cup war.
For the Gin Kings, another duel with the Tropang 5G would mean a chance at revenge and redemption. For TNT, it would be another opportunity to prove its championship grip remains intact.
But before any rematch can be written, two desperate opponents stand in the way.
Rain or Shine and Meralco have one mission left: drag Sunday into survival mode and force a Game 7.
Ginebra and TNT have one mission too: end it before the door reopens.