MANILA -- TNT import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson said things are fine between him and coach Jojo Lastimosa after their disagreement late in Game 1 of the 2023 PBA Governors' Cup finals on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Their disagreement apparently occurred after Lastimosa took Hollis-Jefferson out of the game with still 1:55 to go and TNT trailing 99-87 against the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings.

Ginebra went on to win, 102-90, for a 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 series. Hollis-Jefferson played 45 minutes and labored to 30 points on 13-of-26 shooting along with 20 rebounds and five assists.

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"Me and Jojo are good. I love the way he coaches," Hollis-Jefferson assured after the game. "For me, that's just passion."

"I love the game, and I'm out there playing for my teammates, the organization, the fans," he added.

The Tropang GIGA struggled offensively all throughout the game, shooting just 38% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. Players like Roger Pogoy (2-of-10) and Jayson Castro (2-of-9) were held in check, and it did not help that TNT lost Justin Chua to injury just four minutes into the game while Poy Erram fouled out with still over nine minutes to play.

"It's just tough," Hollis-Jefferson acknowledged. "I'm the type of person that, I don't wanna come out 'til it says 0:0 on the clock. That was just emotion and passion."

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Lastimosa, explaining his own view of the situation, said he wanted their import to "be smart," even as he lauded Hollis-Jefferson's fighting spirit.

"He didn't wanna come out, he's a warrior. So hat's off to him. He doesn't wanna come out," Lastimosa said.

"But I told him, 'You have to be smart, this is a seven-game series. What if something happens to you?'" he added. "You can't win a series by winning Game 1. So there's a lot of games to be played, and he needs to understand that."

On the other side, Justin Brownlee scored 17 of his 31 points in the first quarter to set the tone for Ginebra, while the likes of Jamie Malonzo, Stanley Pringle, and Christian Standhardinger also contributed offensively.

Reigning Most Valuable Player Scottie Thompson bucked a poor shooting game to put up a 10-point, 13-rebound, 11-assist triple-double.

Game 2 of the series is on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.

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