TNT gets it right in series opener

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HOW do you stop a mighty San Miguel Beer five in the Big Dance? Defending champion TNT got the answers right, at least in the series opener last Sunday night.

Coach Chot Reyes said his charges needed to bring their A-Game and last-second heroics from a Tropang Giga veteran to stun the Beermen.

“Not only na nag-click sila (Roger Pogoy, Mikey Williams, and Jayson Castro) but I think they did it at the right time because San Miguel was outplaying us,” Reyes said.

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“This is the finals, the only way we can beat a team like that is for them to contribute not necessarily scoring heavily but in other facets of the game,” he added.

Reyes spoke after TNT carved out a nail-biting 86-84 decision on a Castro buzzer-beating jumper that needed the game officials’ thorough review in Game 1 of their best-of-7 finals duel for the PBA Philippine Cup crown.

Pogoy sizzled with a game-high 26 points on four three-pointers, hauled three rebounds, and dished off two assists for the Tropang Giga, while Mikey Williams chipped in 21 markers, four boards, and two dimes.

Castro also wound up with 15 points, none bigger than his clutch pullup basket off Beerman Simon Enciso, to go with three caroms, and two feeds as TNT scored a fitting follow-up to its 87-74 drubbing of Magnolia in Game 6 of their semifinals clash eight days ago.

The Beermen could not sustain the grit they showed in a 100-89 triumph over Meralco in Game 7 of their semis series last Wednesday.

Reyes said a telling third quarter blitz that enabled the Tropang Giga to raze a 15-point deficit in the second canto spelled the big difference as they gained an early upper hand in the race-to-4 title battle for the pro league’s coveted crown jewel.

“When we were down by 15 points, wala ng choice, ‘di ba? We had to get them going at a high clip,” Reyes said.

“Fortunately, we were able to solve what they were doing defensively in the third quarter. I thought the third quarter was the key.”

Reyes will temporarily leave TNT’s coaching chores to deputies Sandy Arespacochaga and Yuri Escueta in Games 2 and 3 to call the shots for Gilas’ tiff against Lebanon in the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers on Friday in Beirut.

“I just focus on what’s in front of me. In the end, that’s all I can do, whether it’s a better sendoff or not, hindi ko na iyan iniisip,” he said. “I’m preserving my energy so that I can focus on the things that matter.”

June Mar Fajardo carried the fight for SMB with 24 points and 16 rebounds, while CJ Perez added 21 markers and six boards.

Jericho Cruz also contributed to 10 points for the Beermen.

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