TNT stared at a 13-point deficit against Magnolia early on in the third quarter, with the Tropang 5G’s Triple Crown dreams teetering on the brink of being reduced to a mere footnote to what was otherwise an eventful season.
But the Chot Reyes-mentored TNT five led by Roger Pogoy, Calvin Oftana, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, and Kelly Williams simply refused to wilt when it mattered most.
The result? The Tropang 5G essayed a gripping 89-88 escape over the Hotshots to stay alive in the PBA Philippine Cup last Wednesday night.
Reyes kept it simple—they lose, that’s just fine. They win, they still have a chance at completing one of the most riveting seasons in the history of Asia’s pioneering pro league.
“It was, for me, first of all, it’s really not in our minds. But you know, my attitude is these guys have done so much already this year. If the grand slam is not for us, it’s not for us,” Reyes said. “But no one is going to take away what we have achieved already this year, this season. Having said that, we had a long talk and Roger can attest to this. Before practice the other day, I asked them really how much they want it. If this is something they really, really want because it’s going to be really, really hard.
“So, iyon lang. Ang inisip lang namin is that we’re coming back and we’re playing on Saturday. Going to this ballgame, we set our practice scheduled today, Friday, because we were hell-bent on playing on Saturday,” he added.
The dramatic come-from-behind triumph allowed sixth-ranked TNT to force a knockout quarterfinals match with twice-to-beat Magnolia tomorrow at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
The sharpshooting Pogoy banged in a game-high 30 points spiked by three three-pointers, on top of two rebounds while Oftana turned in a double-double of 21 markers and 16 boards and five assists for the Tropang 5G.
Williams, Ganuelas-Rosser, and Jordan Heading also added 12, 10, and 10 points, respectively for TNT.
Pogoy said it best—they don’t want to pack their bags and kiss goodbye to that treble dream.
“Iyong mindset ko lang coming to this game is ayoko lang magpatalo. Ayoko pang magbakasyon,” he said. “Iyon nga, binabasa lang namin iyong defense ng Magnolia kasi last time nga ang dami naming turnovers. Siguro iyon ang turning point.”
Facing a do-or-die situation anew for a semifinals slot, it’s the hard way the Tropang 5G are more than willing to take and thrive.
