GAMES TOMORROW
(PhilSports Arena)
5 p.m. – NorthPort vs. Ginebra
7:30 p.m. – Rain or Shine vs. TNT
WITH the game hanging in the balance, TNT gunner Roger Pogoy rose to intercept an inbound pass by Rain or Shine playmaker Andrei Caracut intended for Caelan Tiongson that left coach Yeng Guiao flabbergasted in his team’s final possession last night.
Getting the needed stops down the stretch, the Tropang Giga essayed an 88-84 decision over the Elasto Painters in Game 1 of their best-of-7 semifinals duel in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Pogoy’s crucial steal averted what could have been a four-point try by Tiongson and force overtime, with TNT tactician Chot Reyes heaving a big sigh of relief at the buzzer.
Reyes beamed with pride after his charges proved their mettle in a tiff where Rain or Shine gave two-time best import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson fits.
“Very important (response of his players) because Rondae shot poorly, not hitting 30 percent of his field goal attempts so it was important the other guys stepped up,” Reyes said. “They (Painters) really did a good job defending Rondae and when that happened, we really need to go to our counters.
“Jayson (Castro) and Calvin (Oftana) were the ones who provided that firepower coming off the bench. It was a struggle for us the whole game but at least we won with our import struggling,” he added.
Castro totaled 24 points that he paired with two rebounds punctuated by six three-pointers, on top of three assists for the Tropang Giga while Hollis-Jefferson still put up 23 markers, 13 boards, and five dimes.
Oftana also riffled in six treys and chipped in 22 points, four caroms, and three feeds as TNT gained a 1-0 edge in the race-to-4 series after the pro league took a 16-day break to give way to Gilas Pilpinas’ bid in the third window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers last week.
The Tropang Giga trailed by as much as 28-37 early on but battled back and held a 51-47 buffer at the halfway mark.
TNT still enjoyed a 74-70 cushion heading into the final 12 minutes and padded its advantage to 76-70 on a Hollis-Jefferson slam dunk with 11:44 to go.
Reinforcement Deon Thompson gave the Painters their last taste of the lead with a layup 81-79 with 6:17 remaining before the Tropang Giga struck with a 6-0 run that turned the tide.
Thompson carried the fight for Rain or Shine with 29 points and 16 rebounds but Adrian Nocum was the only other Painter who hit double-digits with 18 markers and 11 boards.
Their locals rose to the challenge and with their A-Game on defense, the Tropang Giga simply offered a peek at what they could do in this battle.
