MANILA, Philippines—Many things in the PBA are certain. One of which is Rondae Hollis-Jefferson turning in an epic performance to push TNT to a PBA Finals appearance.

That’s exactly what happened on Friday at Araneta Coliseum in Game 5 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals when the Tropang Giga subdued Rain or Shine to win the series, 4-1, behind another masterclass from the two-time Best Import.

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Seeing Hollis-Jefferson lead TNT to yet another Finals appearance, his third in four conferences with the Tropang Giga, wasn’t surprising, by all means.

READ: PBA: TNT books Finals berth, closes out Rain or Shine

TNT certainly benefitted from Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s calmness as he finished with 42 points and 11 rebounds. @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/CcQb28JwIc

— Rommel Fuertes Jr. (@MeloFuertesINQ) March 7, 2025

It’s his approach that may come as a shock to some. Instead of having an aggressive demeanor to pull the plug on Rain or Shine’s campaign, he used his calmness as the driving force for TNT to cruise to its second straight Finals appearance.

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“I think we stayed calm and stayed poised,” said the 30-year-old Hollis-Jefferson after their 97-92 win over Rain or Shine.

“They were up a little bit, like 10 or 12, so I just told our guys that we could come together and do this but we just have to stay calm.”

READ: PBA: TNT, Ginebra gun for close-out victories

His mind was calm but his intentions were anything but peaceful.

Playing with reckless abandon, Hollis-Jefferson finished with a monster double-double of 42 points and 11 rebounds with four assists and three blocks to boot.

The Tropang Giga will face either rival Ginebra or top seed NorthPort in a best-of-seven title series. The Gin Kings hold a 3-1 series lead in their semis matchup.