TNT’S injury woes keep on gnawing at the Tropang 5G—they were not spared in Game 4 of their best-of-7 PBA Philippine Cup semifinals showdown with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters last Wednesday night.
Gunner Calvin Oftana and veteran big man Kelly Williams suffered ankle sprains but heroes were aplenty as TNT grabbed a 3-1 series lead and moved within a win of reaching the Big Dance for the third straight time this season.
“That’s exactly right. Our main guys going down, other guys gotta step up. I’m just taking the game as it comes to me,” Fil-Aussie playmaker Jordan Heading said. “I felt like I had a few good looks and I wanted to come out a little bit more aggressive and shoot a few more shots than I’ve been shooting the last few games.
“So I was glad I was able to get some of those up,” he added.
The 6-foot-2 Heading stood at the forefront of the Tropang 5G’s 108-92 ripping of the Painters with a game-high 22 points spiked by three three-pointers and a four, on top of five rebounds and six assists.
With Heading doing the damage from the outside, big man Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser manned the paint with a flourish and finished with a double-double of 22 markers and 11 boards.
“It was a collective effort. Coach really challenged us. Before the game, he said toughness, and that’s all it was. We just had to be tougher. Last game, particularly our unit, the bigs, I felt like we kind of got embarrassed,” Ganuelas-Rosser said. “Our manhood was kind of challenged. I took it personally. So, I just wanted to make sure I was available, play tough, be active, but be smart, and make sure to protect my fouls, especially in the first half.
“I think the Xs and Os, you could talk about it, coach showed us clips, and we weren’t being tough. We were getting pushed around, knocked off the ball, and I think when we’re solid and we’re strong, we give ourselves an opportunity to be effective in the game.”
With Oftana and Williams doubtful, Heading and Ganuelas-Rosser are expected to show up anew as TNT goes for the jugular in the fifth tiff today and to stay on track for the grand slam at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“This (Game 4) was a pretty pivotal game. Either going up 3-1 or tying out with them winning two in a row, that could have changed the momentum of the series. We’re just trying to lock in every single game and try and put this away, hopefully. So, we’ll get some rest and get right back to work,” Heading said.
“I think everyone’s got problems right now. It’s just all about grinding through it. It’s back into the playoffs. It’s been a long season, so everyone’s got their niggles in that. It’s not just me, but we’ve just got to fight through it and still produce.”
