NOW comes the hard part for TNT.
After ruling the PBA Commissioner’s Cup—their second straight title—the Tropang Giga have moved within a crown of a completing a coveted grand slam.
TNT coach Chot Reyes admitted they will have their work cut out for them in the season-ending Philippine Cup.
“I guess it couldn’t be avoided at this point. I acknowledge that fact now. There’s going to be tremendous pressure on us. There’s going to be a huge target on our backs, of course,” Reyes said. “Eleven other teams are going to do their darn best to stop us. As you can see, we don’t really have the best talent. We really don’t have the deepest bench.
“But there’s something in our players. They just refuse to quit. That’s what we’re going to bring to the next conference,” he added.
Reyes spoke after his charges fashioned a heart-stopping 87-83 overtime decision over the Ginebra Kings last Friday night in a Game 7 for the ages.
The victory, carved out before a mammoth crowd of 21,274 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, enabled the flagship squad of the Manny V. Pangilinan group to annex an 11th crown overall and also the same number of rings Reyes now has.
Reigning best import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson battled hamstring and groin injuries and notched 25 points he paired with 12 rebounds, to go with two assists for the Tropang Giga while Rey Nambatac, named finals MVP, backed him up with 22 markers, two boards, and four dimes.
Glenn Khobuntin provided an unlike big lift with 14 points while Calvin Oftana also had 10 as TNT got the job done despite trailing 2-3 in the race-to-4 series.
Then carrying the banner of the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters, the Tropang Giga fell short of their triple crown bid in the 2010-2011 season when they lost to the Petron Blaze Boosters in seven matches in the Governors’ Cup.
Now Reyes and his team are determined more than ever to capture the rare grand slam.
“I’ve learned all through my life that if you work hard, you put yourself in a good chance then good things will happen. It’s not a guarantee, but at least you put yourself in a good position and that’s what we’ve done,” Reyes said.
“With this victory, we have put ourselves in that position. You can bet that we’re going to come out and work even harder and try our best.
“Not necessarily to capture the grand slam, but because there’s another tournament, another competition in front of us. That’s what we’re going to aim for.”
