MANILA, Philippines – Save the best for last.

Two dominant imports collide in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals as former NBA players Terrence Jones and Chris McCullough duke it out in a best-of-seven series between TNT and San Miguel.

It will be an enthralling individual matchup between the two reinforcements as both took the league by storm since their arrival.

With Jones at the helm, the KaTropa had lost only thrice in 17 games throughout the conference on the way to booking a trip to the finals for the first time in two years. 

Jones – best remembered for his stints with the Houston Rockets and the New Orleans Pelicans – has proven to be head and shoulders above the competition as he already racked up a league-leading 5 triple-doubles. 

And even against defending champion Barangay Ginebra in the semifinals, Jones showed he cannot be contained by helping TNT finish the best-of-five series in 4 games. 

McCullough is just as impressive, coming in the middle of the tournament as a replacement for Charles Rhodes and propelling the Beermen to victories in 7 of their last 10 games for a ticket to the finals. 

San Miguel was in danger of missing the playoffs after dropping 5 of its first 7 games until McCullough – who played for the Brooklyn Nets and the Washington Wizards – came to the rescue.

McCullough played a major role in taking down the twice-to-beat NorthPort in the quarterfinals and took charge in dispatching Rain or Shine in 4 games in the semifinals, a series that saw him set a conference-high 51 points. 

Both have been stories of success for their respective teams, but as the old saying goes, something has to give. 

Game 1 of the finals will be staged at the Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, August 4. – Rappler.com