QUEZON CITY, Philippines - TNT Tropang 5G arrived at the Moro Lorenzo Gym on Tuesday carrying more than the pressure of a championship series.
They came with heavy hearts.
Just a day earlier, the Philippine basketball community was shaken by the tragic deaths of Ateneo student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili during a team-building activity in Aurora. For TNT, the loss hit particularly close to home.
The Tropang 5G have long shared facilities with the Ateneo Blue Eagles, frequently crossing paths with the players inside the Moro Lorenzo Gym and weight room.
Among those familiar faces was Adili.
Twenty-four hours later, TNT channeled that emotion into one of its most spirited performances of the tournament.
The defending champions bounced back with a crucial 106-98 victory over Barangay Ginebra in Game 4 of the PBA Season 50 Commissioner's Cup Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, evening the series at 2-2 and turning the championship showdown into a virtual best-of-three.
Jordan Heading, who delivered one of his finest performances of the Finals, made sure the postgame conversation extended beyond basketball.
"First of all, I want to take the time to give my love to the families of Rene and Divine," Heading said in the postgame press conference. "That played heavily on our minds, so I just wanna take the time and give love to their families."
Head coach Chot Reyes echoed the sentiment, revealing that the tragedy had been discussed extensively within the team before Game 4.
"Really glad that Jordan brought it up because he's right, that was something we discussed also as a team yesterday," Reyes said.
The veteran mentor admitted that stepping into TNT's practice venue felt different without one of the familiar voices greeting him.
"We see those guys-well, not too much Rene, but Divine," Reyes said. "The past two years we see them almost every day because we practice in the same facility, we lift weights in the same gym.
"I don't know if you saw my Instagram story yesterday, it was really surreal stepping into the Moro Lorenzo court and the gym without Divine's 'Good morning, Coach!' greetings right there."
For one night, TNT transformed that pain into purpose.
With the Finals hanging in the balance, Heading delivered a masterclass.
The left-handed guard erupted for 29 points, six rebounds, and eight assists while knocking down five of his seven attempts from beyond the arc.
He kept TNT afloat through the opening half before helping to spark the decisive surge that broke the game open.
After a tightly contested third quarter, TNT seized control with a blistering run that extended into the fourth period. Heading drilled a key triple during a 10-0 burst that pushed the Tropang 5G's lead to 90-70 with 7:11 remaining.
Chris McCullough complemented Heading's effort with 24 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists. After a quiet first half, the import came alive in the final quarter, scoring 13 points to repeatedly answer Ginebra's comeback attempts.
Jayson Castro added 14 points, Calvin Oftana rebounded from a two-point outing in Game 3 with 12 markers, and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser chipped in 10.
The numbers reflected TNT's dominance in the hustle categories.
The Tropang 5G outrebounded Ginebra, 47-31, including 17 offensive rebounds.
Their bench also delivered significantly more production, outscoring the Gin Kings' reserves, 41-24.
Ginebra head coach Tim Cone acknowledged as much afterward.
"Wow, we got beat up in the second half," Cone said. "They out-physicaled us and they just totally outplayed us in the second half. It looked like we are really tired. It's a night when we needed something from our bench and we couldn't get anything from our bench.
"We wanted to come back here, do something special and get that 3-1 lead. It's really, really hard to do, and we just weren't able to do it."
"They out-energized us, they out-physicaled us, and, frankly, just outplayed us. Now, it's a best-of-three."
The night began with a celebration for Ginebra.
RJ Abarrientos was formally crowned Best Player of the Conference, while Justin Brownlee received the Best Import award before tip-off.
For Abarrientos, the individual recognition was a culmination of an outstanding conference highlighted by a stellar semifinal series against Rain or Shine.
Yet even before receiving the trophy, the rookie guard made it clear where his focus remained.
"Hindi ko alam e. Medyo ina-eye ko yung finals ngayon," Abarrientos said. "We need to focus as a team. Yung individual awards, darating naman yun.
The night ended in disappointment, however.
Brownlee finished with 32 points, five rebounds, and five assists, while Abarrientos added 21 points but was limited to just four after halftime as TNT's defense tightened.
Japeth Aguilar contributed 12 points and Troy Rosario added 11, but Stephen Holt was held to only five points after his explosive 23-point effort in Game 3.
Game 5 is set for Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, where both teams will attempt to gain the upper hand in what has become a best-of-three race to the title.