TNT head coach Chot Reyes had a piercing eye contact with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson after Justin Brownlee nailed consecutive baskets at one point in the Tropang Giga’s 95-89 Game 1 win.

No words were uttered but the prolific import knew exactly what’s in the mind of his veteran coach.

The next few possessions, Hollis-Jefferson picked up Brownlee from the halfcourt and either forced him to go for a tough shot or give up the ball and defer to his teammates.

That was just the kind of bond and connection Reyes and Hollis-Jefferson already have and they are making it to good use in trying to limit the caliber of a Brownlee.

“That was just our connection,” Hollis-Jefferson said of his interaction with Reyes.

“We've been talking all year. Since he started coaching me, even when he wasn't coaching me, me and Chot would look at each other, like, what's going on? So it was just one of those moments where I was like, OK, I got you. You don't even gotta say anything,” he added.

Hollis-Jefferson, on top of leading the offensive thrust for TNT with his 34 points, took on the task of guarding Brownlee especially when the Kings began rallying from a double-digit deficit.

Brownlee still had 28 points in the contest but it was something Hollis-Jefferson and TNT were willing to take as long as he was made to bleed for every point of it.

“I started guarding him, and I made it tough for him, but he still made shots. You got to give him credit, man. He's phenomenal. But that's what we want,” Hollis-Jefferson, the Best Import award frontrunner said of his counterpart.

“Go ahead. Come on. He's the horse, so we'll let him ride him and just make it tough for him. That’s what great players do. They make tough shots,” he added.