IN an effort ala superman, reigning best import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson of defending champion TNT rose from the blind side and blocked a shot by Magnolia big man Zavier Lucero at the 2:27 mark of the fourth quarter last Tuesday night.

Lucero thought he had an open basket, but Hollis-Jefferson would have none of it and although the Hotshot pulled down the offensive rebound, Lucero muffed the follow-up try.

That defensive gem from Hollis-Jefferson drew aahs and oohs from the small but appreciative Ninoy Aquino Stadium crowd and typified Tropang Giga coach Chot Reyes’ challenge to his charges as they gird for the quarterfinals—they have to win by putting the handcuffs on their foes.

“Some great defensive effort just like in the entire conference,” Reyes said after TNT squeaked past Magnolia 84-82 for its fifth straight win in Group A in the PBA Governors’ Cup. “We just really relied on our defense to get through.

“Overall, you know, these are the kind of games we’re gonna face in the playoffs. This is good preparation for us,” he added.

The hard-earned victory served as a big follow up to the Tropang Giga’s 108-99 triumph over the Meralco Bolts Thursday last week and raised their record to 7-1, just one win shy of bagging the top seed in their group.

The Hotshots, coming off a 99-98 escape over the Terrafirma Dyip six nights back, dropped to 4-4.

What’s more impressive was the fact TNT hurdled Magnolia anew after an 88-82 decision in their first-round clash last Aug. 29. without gunner Rey Nambatac (shoulder) and Kim Aurin (flu) this time.